


Keeping Score

by DimensionSlip



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 03:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2372483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DimensionSlip/pseuds/DimensionSlip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade, along with the others, believed that they could forge their own future without destroying the planet's memory. They were wrong. And the so-called madman was right. Post-Eldrant, complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

* * *

_ND2019, the forces of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear shall march northward, through the Rugnica Plains. After inflicting atrocities upon the villages in their wake, the army shall surround the fortress capital. Within a fortnight, the city shall fall. The Kimlascan army will stain the Malkuth throne with the blood of its last emperor. Their howls of victory shall resound throughout the land._

* * *

"I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, command thee, who opens the gates of hell."

A glyph formed beneath the cloaked man's feet as he paused before a large doorway. Corpses donned in red and blue alike surrounded him, the hallways stained with their blood. Yet, he remained unperturbed as he continued casting his spell—as if he was used to such scenes in his life.

"Come forth, divine lightning!" Sparks began to crackle and dance in the air, visible as the density of third fonons increased. "This ends now!"

Two parallel glyphs appeared as he raised his arm upwards, and with it an increase in volume.

" _Indignation!_ "

With a loud explosion, the door to the hall flew open, and with it, the end for those souls still inside. Lightning burst inside the room; its dissonance accompanied by the haphazard melody of screams and groans of the fallen as they were mercilessly struck down by the storm that overtook the hall.

The cloaked stranger entered the hall as soon as the storm died down. Cold red eyes swept the battlefield as its owner unblinkingly wove through the sea of corpses left by the arte's wake. Oblivious to the stench of death that surrounded him, he stood in front of the bloodstained chair that used to host Malkuth's emperor in the once-majestic audience hall of the Malkuth Imperial Palace.

 _...The Kimlascan army will stain the Malkuth throne with the blood of its last emperor._ A mirthful smile escaped him. Those fools really did follow that goddamned Score to the very last letter. Whatever happened to creativity nowadays? _Well_ , he thought, _if that was how they wanted to play their game, so be it_.

Turning on his heel with his cloak following in a sweeping motion, he proceeded to exit the room when a movement caught the corner of his eye. On instinct, he was about to draw his weapon when a realization hit him. The spell earlier definitely would not have left anyone alive. He made sure of it, putting every ounce of power into that already powerful arte. If it was not an enemy, then—someone he marked as a friend a long time back? No, it couldn't—given the power of his spell and his lack of direction—but it _was_ possible in one out of about a hundred or so cases.

There was only one way to know for sure. Shaking his head, as if to get rid of the annoying spark of hope that crept up his chest, he turned back again and approached the source of the movement. Hope was a useless emotion, just waiting to be stamped out once reality had its way—the professor, Luke—what good did hope ever do for them?

Yet, as he sighted a familiar blond crown in the sea of red and blue, just once more, he dared to hope.


	2. Chapter 1

Peony Upala Malkuth IX was no stranger to death, or so he liked to believe. Attendance in state funerals was a matter of course of him, as was visiting the dying in soldier camps, offering what consolation or inspiration he could to those whose time was almost up.

There was also the matter of losing all his brothers and sisters, which inevitably led to his coronation. Long before that, he also lost Professor Nebilim, along with it the innocence of his two dearest friends—though innocence was perhaps too subjective a term. He also had an experience dancing with it more times than he could count, what with assassination plots being something that he dealt with on a regular basis, on top of considering the number of rappigs he owned throughout his stint as the Emperor of Malkuth.

Really, though, he was more than willing to welcome him with a cup of tea when it came knocking on his door. Score be damned—it was the only certainty that was there in anyone's future.

Alas, Death was never that straightforward.

When he lasted check—or as far as he knew—Death did not have auburn locks tied in a loose bun and waved in incoming clientele with soup ladles in hand. Neither did Death wear full skirts nor devastating smiles and speak with that all-too familiar voice-

"You're awake," "Death" greeted, her bespectacled face impassive as her red eyes bore into him. No, this was not Death, this was-

"Nephry?" Peony managed to rasp out, his own voice sounding foreign to him.

"Try again." The person offered him a glass of water, which he gratefully accepted. Midway through the refreshing liquid, he nearly choked upon seeing the all-too familiar smirk crossing the "woman's" face.

"Jade?" His disbelief was probably apparent due to the ever-widening smirk on Jade's face. Recognition gave a new meaning to devastating as he described that smile earlier, and as such, he mentally stamped out the word link from his memory. Of all the things he expected to see in the afterlife, it certainly was not his best friend in drag. Unless of course it was some punishment, as the sight and idea would have typically been more than enough for him to claw his own eyes out, if not for the fact that he looked and sounded like a she.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jade said, "I applied a fonic arte to my throat. I would no sooner pass for a woman than a rappig would pass for a cheagle."

Peony chuckled his agreement, though it was short-lived as he began to contemplate his surroundings. Thatched roof, wooden walls, pots and pans hanging in a far corner, and of course there was Jade in front of him. Speaking of rappigs, it was probably wise to assume that none of his pets made it, unfortunate as it was. His expression sobered momentarily, then turned curious as he fixed his gaze back on Jade. If that was not Death playing tricks in front of him, then where-

"In case you were wondering, you are currently in a settlement tucked in Tataroo Valley, inside a makeshift hut constructed by yours truly."

Jade blazed on before Peony could open his mouth to reply. "No, you're not dead—as much as your enemies wish for that, and no, this is not a dream, and if you want me to prove it as such, you are more than welcome to be my guest, Your Majesty. Though I could not guarantee a painless proof if I were to do the honors."

Peony fell silent at those words, not daring to take up Jade on his offer. The stiffness of his joints as he tried to move his arms and legs, as well as the dull ache in his chest seemed to indicate as much—if not the faint chatter of the townsfolk and the moos he could hear from his bed. Certainly, cows did not exist in the afterlife, did they not?

Coldness seized his heart as he finally considered that reality, dread washing over him as his chest constricted in response to a sudden realization. "How long have I been like this?"

"A month," Jade replied as a matter of fact.

"A month?!" Peony shot up from his bed, only to cringe visibly as a sharp pain coursed down his back.

"Your Majesty, I suggest refraining from such movements until you have fully recovered," Jade said reprovingly, his face a mask of disapproval. "I wouldn't want all of my hard work the past few weeks to all go to waste because a silly boy could not keep his limbs to himself."

Peony sighed in defeat and lay back on the bed, returning to studying the thatched roof of the hut. As much as he wanted to go out of the house and see the world for himself then and there, he knew better than to disobey Jade's advice. Well, he supposed, he could probably worm the information he needed from the said person. What was he doing in Tataroo Valley? Shouldn't he be in Grand Chokmah, not playing house with Jade? Also, why was he thinking about Death earlier? Just what-

Then, the haze that was his thoughts cleared, and it all came rushing back.

 _War._ They were at war back then. It was so sudden; the Malkuth military did not have time to prepare properly. After ambushing the Malkuth troops at Kaitzur, the Kimlascan army marched their way across the Rugnican Plains, and while by no means unnoticed, were quick. Too quick. Even with the landships and troops ready to meet them, there was the matter of hover drives that they employed, which quickly turned the tide into Kimlasca's favor as the Malkuth forces were too busy holding off the Kimlascan army from ravaging Engeve and St. Binah.

The unexpected use of machines like the Albiore proved to be the empire's downfall. While most of the Malkuth Empire's forces were busy fighting at the Rugnican Plains, Kimlascan forces were able to ambush the said army from behind, while simultaneously raiding the capital from the air.

He remembered his advisers telling him to run for it. Hide and live, so that the Empire would be able to continue to hope. But he did not. He stood in his throne room, fending off attackers with his inexperienced blade, waiting for the mastermind to come out as his generals fell around him. An exercise in futility, for it was only a matter of time until a soldier struck him down, running his blade through his abdomen.

He was supposed to be dead. But how? How did he survive that ordeal? His gaze then flew to Jade. _Jade..._ He must have done something. But what was it?

His face must have betrayed the shock he felt, for Jade spoke, "...You'd better rest."

"No."

Jade let out an exasperated sigh. "Your Majesty, now is not—"

"I need to know. What happened during the past month while I was knocked out? How did I even survive?"

"There isn't much," Jade said tonelessly. "The Empire fell. Engeve, St. Binah, and Grand Chokmah have been left for ruin. Keterburg has been officially declared Kimlascan territory. Survivors of Malkuthian descent are considered less than third class citizens." Jade took a deep a breath. "As for surviving, it's a feat none other than the Necromancer could pull off, don't you think?"

Peony narrowed his eyes at Jade. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Since I am no Seventh Fonist, I had to place you in a catatonic sleep so you could recover from that stab wound and the other injuries you incurred in battle. Well, to be exact, it was more of a state of suspended animation rather than a catatonic one, but I'm glad the experiment worked out. Though, the credit for the healing proper should go to Miss Tear Grants, who kindly helped out during the first month of your confinement."

Peony heaved a sigh of relief. "I see." At least no necromancy was involved. "Where is she now?"

"She had to leave, for she had other business to take care of."

"How about Nephry?"

"I don't know."

"Saphir?"

"I don't know."

In response, he shot up from where he lay, biting back a wince as he got on his feet. Wobbling slightly on his feet as he tried his best to ignore what seemed to be spikes piercing every inch of his body, he took several tentative steps forward and glared at Jade as he clutched the edge of a nearby table for support. "How could you not know? One of them is your sister, and the other is your close friend and research partner!"

"While I concede the lattermost statement regarding the latter person, you do have to note that my movement is extremely limited, considering I've had to babysit an unconscious emperor who foolishly decided to fight instead of fleeing."

"What kind of emperor leaves his people alone while they're fighting valiantly?" Peony's glare did not let up, though inwardly, he knew that Jade had a point regarding his circumstances.

Jade's gaze remained cool as his red eyes engaged Peony's blue ones. "Someone who knows that there's more of a future for his kingdom when he's alive rather than when he is dead."

Silence fell over the two as none of them backed down from their stands, until Jade decided to tear his gaze away from Peony. "If you will excuse me," Jade said, turning his back towards him, "I must get going."

"In that get-up?" Doubtful, Peony raised an eyebrow at him. "Where?"

"Yes." Jade returned Peony's raised brow with one of his own, as if to challenge him to mock him for his appearance. "To Chesedonia."

"I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Why not?"

"This has been a trip I have been delaying for months, as I have wasted enough time—"

"You haven't answered my question," Peony said, finding his voice fortunately steady as circulation returned to his limbs.

Jade sighed in resignation. "This is a journey I must undertake alone. Based on what I have confirmed, both of us have been declared dead by the Kimlascan military. However, their top brass know better and are still searching for us. I refuse to put you in danger for something this trivial, especially since now that you're well on the way to recovery."

"'Something this trivial'? I still have a lot of questions and none of them are going to be answered as I sit around here! Also, what makes you think I will be safe here?"

"No one except me knows of your true identity, and you'll blend in with the townsfolk easily enough."

"I've had it with sitting around and waiting for things to happen. I want to see things for myself and do what I can to help."

"Then stay. You are this country's hope, and you are of no use to it dead."

"No. There is no guarantee that the Kimlascan army will not siege the settlement, and oh, kill everyone in here because they felt like it."

"The chances of that happening is very unlikely considering how Kimlasca has deemed everything in the Ispanian Peninsula and Rugnican Plains as unworthy of their attention, especially after their multiple sweeps throughout the said regions. They have failed as far as making sure that everyone that needed to stay dead stayed dead, but that works to our favor," Jade then threw him a pointed look at the bed. "As for you, you'd better lie down again, else, I will make you."

Peony folded his arms and shook his head. "If you did that, then wouldn't you be risking reopening my wound even more?"

"Touché," Jade said, but made no move to push through with his earlier threat.

"Besides, don't you need someone to cover for you while you're casting your spells? You can't just Energy Blast everything in your way, you know?"

"You are clearly forgetting that I am able to channel fonons through my weapon and am more than capable of holding my own in physical combat."

"Well then, wouldn't you be more certain of my safety if I were around? Besides, they are searching for a man or two, not a couple off to do their shopping."

For that, Jade was rendered temporarily speechless, and he hid his eyes behind the glare of his glasses—a movement that Peony recognized as Jade hiding something, if not plotting for the best way to go about the demise of a nearby living being. Truly a cause for concern, considering he was the nearest one that qualified the latter criteria.

"That is one of the most ridiculous ideas I have ever heard of in my life, but that might actually work. Though I do prefer the term 'family', as that is what I have been telling our fellow survivors. Figuratively, of course, considering how we do not look a thing alike. Do get used to moving around in a month's time, as we will be leaving then."

"Wait a minute—I thought we were leaving now?"

"I said nothing of the sort. I still need to settle some matters around the encampment, as our fellows will be losing their soup kitchen mistress. And of course, I also need to gather supplies for the trip."

Peony could not help but pout as Jade smirked and turned his back to him to attend to the stove. He got him there, alright. Regardless, he comforted himself with the thought that he managed to get his way in the end.

For a while, Peony simply stood, watching Jade as he began scooping out curry into bowls. From behind, he really did look like Nephry. If Nephry were less endowed in where it mattered and smiled like a cat who caught the proverbial mouse.

"Doesn't dressing up like that hurt your pride as a man?"

"You are speaking as if I had that pride to begin with."

Peony wrinkled his nose at Jade's response. "Jade, society's standards dictate that men are not supposed to be enjoy cross-dressing and the like."

"It's not a matter of whether I enjoy it or not. If it gets the job done, then I will do it."

"Way to be all serious about it," Peony said, rolling his eyes. "But you know, for a guy, you don't look half as bad as a woman."

"I am not my sister, Your Majesty."

"Franz."

"Neither am I your deceased older brother."

"No, I meant, call me 'Franz'. We can't have you addressing me as 'Your Majesty' once we get out of here. Plus... it's not like I have an empire to speak of anymore."

"Very well," Jade said, shoving a bowl of curry towards him. "Eat your curry, Franz."

Peony had to suppress a grin of amusement as he accepted the bowl from Jade. Fishing for sympathy from Jade was like asking a goldfish to walk on land, huh? Regardless, that was the Jade he came to know, and it was nice to see that despite the winds turning on them, some things did not change so easily.

Still, he could have sworn that before Jade spoke out loud, he muttered something under his breath, something which suspiciously sounded like "not if I have anything to say about it".


	3. Chapter 2

Chesedonia, the center of trade in Auldrant, was a bustling city of merchants tucked away in the north part of Aberria. Despite the fickle desert weather, assorted peddlers vended their wares day and night with the hopes of returning home with an empty cart and a bag full of gald. On another end, bargain hunters flocked to the city in hopes of sealing that one deal or finding that treasure in the veritable haystack of items and people. One could say it was a veritable oasis in the desert, what with the promises it hovered over the denizens of Auldrant.

However, such was not Jade's agenda in the city, though one might argue that he was in the market for something less tangible-information. Chesedonia, as a host to a variety of people, also served as a natural hub for rumors and the like. It was a fact that Jade planned to take advantage of, and served as a reason as to why he chose to visit that city first.

The other reason, though related, was a meeting with someone he had been in correspondence with on and off the past months. Though first, he had to handle the spell over his unwitting companion, who looked like he was overcome by the wide-eyed wonder that struck newcomers to the city. It took a rough shoulder bump from a passing merchant to snap Peony out of his trance, which thankfully saved Jade the effort of having to do it himself.

In an uncharacteristic gesture, Jade took hold of the sheepish Peony's hand and led him to the local pub situated at the center of the city, the merciless afternoon sun beating down their backs. It was easy to get lost in the sea of people, and Jade was planning to take no risks in that regard.

Once inside the bar, Peony took the time to wipe the sweat off his brow, throwing Jade a look of disbelief as he strode towards his quarry, cool and composed as was his usual, breaking no sweat as he stopped by a table tucked in a secluded corner of the place.

"Have a seat." Grinning up at him was a pink-haired woman donning a pirate cap, whose clothing left none of her voluptuous curves to imagination. Returning the grin the best that he could with a suddenly attentive Peony in tow, he took the seat to her right, dumping Peony unceremoniously down the other empty chair.

"It's been a while, Col-"

"Jade, if you would, Noir," he said, frowning. "I can't afford to be recognized here, lest you wish to declare my life forfeit."

"Right, right," she laughed airily and took a sip of her drink, as if she did not just commit a potentially fatal mistake then. "Had a good trip?"

"Bearable enough." The trip to Chesedonia was relatively uneventful, just as Jade wished for it to be. Though the occasional monster did attack them, they quickly fell by Peony's hand, if not one of Jade's artes.

"So I suppose you wish to skip the pleasantries and get to this?" She pulled out a slip of paper from her jacket, along with two leather bound passports and slid it towards Jade, who quickly scanned the contents of the paper after inspecting the passports.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Noir standing up. "My, my, who is this handsome, young man we've got here?" Jade looked up from the piece of paper, and much to his annoyance, found Peony staring unabashedly at Noir's chest as she sashayed towards him. Draping an arm around Peony, she said, "Care to introduce me to your boyfriend, Jade-dearie?"

"Noir, Franz," Jade said, sighing. "Franz, Noir."

"Pleased to meet you, Noir," Peony said, finally tearing his eyes away from her chest to flash her one of his disarming smiles, as if he was not staring pointedly earlier.

Unlatching herself from Peony, Noir smiled with a slight tilt of her head. "No, no, the pleasure is all mine. In any case, don't let me keep you." She started towards the exit, tilting her head back at Jade with a knowing look on her face. "I'm sure that both of you have more _interesting_ matters to take care of. "

"Noir."

"Yes, hon?"

"Do return Franz's wallet before you take your leave."

Noir's smile turned sly as she turned around and ambled back to Jade. "Observant as ever, dearie. Was it you who caught me the last time as well?"

"I believe it was Tear."

"Heh." She extracted a pouch from her jacket and dropped it in Jade's waiting palm. "Be careful." Ghosting a finger along Jade's chin and taking the time to stroke his cheek, she whispered, "The androgynous look suits you, honey. Do take care of yourself."

"Of course." Jade said, smirking. "I can't have all these men falling in love with me, can I? That would be a very unfortunate turn of events."

"Oh? Looks like you have your hands full with lover boy 'Franz' over there." With a wink, she sashayed out of the bar, leaving Jade wishing that he had a better alternative for an information broker.

Though to be fair, he looked passably female, as Peony was not too bad with his hands. During their preparation, Peony took it upon himself to design and alter some clothing for them once he was able to move properly. His clothing was surprisingly modest, going by Peony's usual standards. An old set of Malkuth military uniforms scavenged by the townsfolk was turned into something respectively feminine, yet functional for their trip-a blue, long-sleeved high-collar shirt (if a bit long, almost like a dress) combined with his black tights and boots did change the overall impact of his appearance in addition to his braided hair.

Peony, in contrast to his usual look, was quite modest as well-with a plain peasant shirt and his usual brown pants and slippers. Admittedly, his short-haired look unsettled him for a while as did the noticeable lack of accessories, but it was all for the best. The lesser number of people recognized him, the better.

Noir's exit seemed to bring Peony back to the land of the living, for a serious look crossed his face once he turned to Jade, no trace of the flirtiness that characterized is a few minutes ago. "What was that about? Why does she seem to know who you are?"

"Because she does. I've come to know her in my journey in the past year, and she was quite helpful one way or another." _Despite being a criminal._ "We've been in correspondence for the past few months, and her information has never failed me so far."

He then slipped the paper to Peony, who took in the words with a puzzled look. "Ortion-"

Jade calmly shook his head as he took the slip of paper from Peony, lighting it aflame under the table and letting its ashes fall unceremoniously to the floor.

"In any case, shall we take this opportunity to take something before we explore the sights of Chesedonia?"

* * *

As much as Jade wanted to leave for Ortion Cavern at the soonest possible time, he had to acknowledge that the tickets he bought bound for Sheridan would probably depart the next day at the earliest. As such, he booked a room at the inn on what used to be the Malkuth side of Chesedonia. Since they had time to kill, he decided to accompany Peony, who looked like he was dying to explore the city, which he understood. Even though Peony was occasionally tasked to visit other countries and cities, those were purely business trips and rarely left room for sightseeing. If they did, then there was the matter of keeping up appearances. As of the moment, Peony did not have to concern himself with such, and was in fact acting like a kid wandering around the proverbial candy store—if candies were various weaponry and if candy shops were baking ovens that mercilessly subjected its clientele to the same treatment as their wares.

The heat beating down their backs did not seem to bother his companion, who seemed to be enjoying looking through the merchants' wares. Jade simply kept up his affable smile as they moved from store to store, just looking, not buying anything. Though he would have preferred to stay cooped up inside the inn while he thought of a way to acquire transport to Ortion Cavern from Sheridan, it was not like he could keep an eye on Peony if he stayed inside, and he knew how torturous it could get for his companion if one forced him to sit still for an extended period of time. Though he had every right to force Peony to stay in, it was easier to deal with Peony in a good mood over a sulky one. Also, it wasn't like that he could not brainstorm while on the go, so he was effectively killing two birds with one stone anyway.

Murmurs rose as they passed the section of Chesedonia leading towards Kimlascan territory. For a moment, Jade thought that someone had them figured out given the palpable tension in the air. Gritting his teeth and cursing his lack of foresight, he was about to grab Peony's hand and make a run for it when something—no, _someone_ —was thrown at their feet.

It was not their presence that was the concern—enough for Jade to heave a short-lived sigh of relief—not that the alternative was exactly pleasant.

Jade watched as some soldiers shoved their way through the crowd, pulling Peony back on time lest a soldier bowl him over. Afterwards, Jade turned his attention back to the bruised man slumped on the ground, now cowering in fear.

"P-Please! It wasn't me!"

One of the soldiers grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck. "Lies! Witnesses claimed that they saw you running away with the stolen goods!"

"I did no such thing! I don't even have these stolen goods you speak of!"

"Of course, because your accomplice took them away before we caught you!"

"Accomplice? No, I—"

"Silence, Malkuth scum! I don't want to hear any more from the kingdom of murderers!"

Jade felt Peony tense beside him and immediately grabbed his wrist. When Peony threw him a frown, he slowly shook his head. Jumping in to help would be a foolhardy endeavor, as much as he wanted to do so. He understood that Peony wanted to protect his citizens—or what was left of them—the best that he could, but they could not afford the attention the scuffle would draw toward them.

"Emperor Peony would do no such thing!" A voice rose from the crowd.

"Yeah!"

"We're not a kingdom of murderers!"

"You are the murderers!"

"Bring back our emperor!"

Murmurs of assent rose through the crowd, and the Kimlascan soldiers found themselves being pushed back by a row of angry civilians. Jade then took that as an opportunity to tug Peony back into the direction of the inn. As he did, he could have sworn that he saw a familiar pink-haired woman wink at him from a nearby alley, but before he could ascertain the person's identity, the vision disappeared as quickly as it came.

* * *

"...So, let me get this straight. I supposedly had Princess Natalia assassinated when she visited Malkuth for a diplomatic mission? All because she refused to marry me?"

"Apparently," Jade said as he leaned against the wall, watching Peony as he kicked off his shoes and lay on the bed, arms folded behind his back.

"I did not want to believe it when I first heard it from the council, but—" Jade could only sigh as Peony let out a string of curse words that would have made Yulia blush. True, that was the most absurd of stories, and Jade was surprised that King Ingobert would believe something along those lines. Opening the lines of communication would have cleared up the whole mess instead of having to deal with a war, as with what happened during the war Mohs tried to start using the replicas disguised as soldiers of the opposing countries. Besides, given all that they went through the previous year, he would have thought that Kimlasca and Malkuth were finally at peace with one another.

Alas, that was too much to hope for. On another end, he supposed he should not have been surprised when war broke out if news leaked regarding Natalia's supposed death. After all, King Ingobert was not getting any younger, and the next in line for the throne, Suzanne fon Fabre, was of frail health. And Luke... thinking about Luke gave him a headache.

"And Daath... It just stood by while Malkuth was being attacked?" A look of disbelief crossed Peony's face.

Jade faked a cough. "Need I remind you that I've had a direct hand in decimating most of their forces as well as their top generals while trying to save the world?"

"Right..."

He was not surprised that Daath did not step in to assist Malkuth during its unprovoked invasion. With Score readings abolished, the Oracle Knights had no leverage when dealing with Kimlasca, on top of the chaotic reformation in progress going on in their ranks. Still, to what purpose did the kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear wish for the destruction of Malkuth? As far as Jade had established, King Ingobert had no desire for war. Though of course, that played little bearing if his council decided in favor of it.

A sigh from Peony broke through his thoughts. Jade turned to the other man, who began studying the ceiling. It must have been frustrating for Peony, unable to help one of his citizens earlier, as well as getting a confirmation of what seemed to be the cause of his kingdom's fall.

Peony tore his eyes off the ceiling and glanced at Jade. "...You knew this?"

"I've heard rumors of it being the case, and the incident earlier more or less confirms it."

"I see. So this is a journey to find out the truth?"

"Yes," Jade said, pushing up his glasses as a strange glint fell over them.

"And you believe that you will find it in that place?"

"Indeed."

"How do you plan on getting there?"

"We board a ship to Sheridan. And from there, I have considered two options."

"Oh?" Peony pulled himself to a sitting position, suddenly attentive.

"If Ginji and Noelle are well, I would like to enlist the help of one of them in this mission. However, there are a lot of variables to consider when asking them, and it is very much possible that they no longer apply at this point in time. I am working with the assumption that they are still pilots of the Albiore and are free to take it as they please. Another is that they would be willing to cooperate with someone who has ties to an empire of murderers, so to speak."

"But we did not do anything!"

Jade raised a brow at Peony "...Do they know that, though? You've seen how the Kimlascans outside have been acting. As such, we will have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that they will be hostile."

"It's like Akzeriuth all over again! Damn it..." Peony gritted his teeth, punching the headboard as he did so. "So, anyway, what's the other option?"

"We could attempt to hijack a vessel, but I do not wish to draw attention to ourselves for the moment, so I'm not too keen on this. But if worse comes to worst, I am willing to take this risk."

Noting the other's silence, Jade said, "You are free to return to Tataroo Valley. It's not yet too late to back out. I realize this is a risky proposition, and I prefer not to involve you in this."

"What did that have to do with anything?" Peony scowled at him. "No, and besides, I said I wanted to see the situation for myself. I'm tired of having to get all this information secondhand, and if there's something I could possibly do to help, I will do it—and no, that isn't by sitting around idly while you put yourself in danger again!"

"My, my, I didn't know you were that concerned over my well-being, Your Majesty. I'm used to it, in any case. Laying my life on the line in the name of the empire is part and package of being a soldier. Your duty is to live and serve as a ray of hope to those who are still fighting for your kingdom, in a manner of speaking."

"I didn't know you were that nationalistic, Jade. And it's 'Franz', remember?"

"I try." Jade shrugged. "Though I can't help it if I'm terrible with names."

"You know that I'm still coming with you no matter what you say, right?"

Jade sighed. "As I am unfortunately aware. I had to try, though." Peony's insistence on coming along did not surprise him, and in fact, he made allowances in his schedule to accommodate the other. After all, Peony was an emperor first and foremost despite the lack of a kingdom to call his own. His concern about the state of affairs in Auldrant and where his countrymen stood was an understandable one. However, it was a truth that Jade would rather have taken this journey on his own, and as such tried to discourage Peony when he could, but to no avail.

"Then that's settled." Peony drew his legs back onto the bed and averted his gaze from Jade.

"I'll be taking my leave, then."

Peony merely nodded as Jade exited the room. Jade took a deep breath as he closed the door behind him, leaving the other to his thoughts. Long days were ahead of them, and he supposed that he might as well take advantage of any rest he could get. Not that he was going to get much in the way, but one had to try.


	4. Chapter 3

When he was ripped from his home yet again, Gailardia Galan Gardios found himself taking the name 'Guy Cecil' for the second time in his life.

Revenge was a concept he thought he was able to leave behind, but apparently, it was one that would forever haunt him. There was no denying the emotion he felt as he found himself toiling on Kimlascan soil once more-that of repressed rage, all hidden underneath a bright, unassuming smile.

He tried to convince himself that it was not as bad as it was when he first came to Duke Fabre's mansion, when avenging his dead family was the only emotion that fueled the course of his life. After all, as with before, he was supposed to be dead, if not in prison. Yet, he was alive and physically well, tinkering with the fon machines at Sheridan, the esteemed city of craftsmen. Noelle and Ginji were staking their lives by keeping him under their wing, as did General Cecille, who put in a good word for him when the Kimlascan military discovered his presence under their care. Heck, he even got to keep the Jewel of Gardios instead of having it confiscated by the military.

Yet, the sense of loss lingered over him, and so did his frustration at being helpless to save those around him once more. _Jade. Emperor Peony._ _The servants entrusted to him in the name of House Gardios_ _._ He clenched his fist tightly, mouth taut in a thin line. All dead, all because of some dumb declaration that Natalia was killed during one of her trips as an ambassador of peace. He did not believe a word of it. _Not a single word of it._ Natalia would not be taken down that easily, given the strength she gained thanks to their journey. Moreover, it was utterly absurd for Emperor Peony to issue such an order in the first place, given how he got along with the former in the first place. Not to mention, there was Jade's resourcefulness to consider with regard to his survival and the emperor's, but if they were alive, certainly, the military would have issued some sort of order to capture them for some sort of reward.

The question was, who _was_ responsible for this mess? While he knew that complete harmony was in the realm of impossibility, tolerance was something he expected, especially after defeating Van. Apparently, such thoughts were stuff of dreams, given his current predicament.

"Guy, are you okay?" Noelle looked up from the engine she was repairing, a concerned expression on her face.

"Yeah, I'll live," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

His smile probably did not come across that way, since Noelle continued to eye him worriedly. "You should call it an early day. You've been working hard for the past days; you should take the time to rest, Guy."

"Yeah, I'm sure Aston will agree," Ginji said, tearing his eyes away from the wing that he was working on. "If he doesn't, I'll find a way to make the old man see things our way!"

Realizing that his protests would most likely fall on deaf ears in the light of their unity, he broke into a sheepish grin and excused himself as they requested. Muttering a word of thanks, he proceeded to exit the place.

Stepping out of the storehouse, Guy stretched his arms and let out a yawn. Perhaps they were right. He had been working long hours in the factory as an effort to keep himself occupied. At least, when he was assembling machines, he did not have to think about what happened several months ago.

Climbing up the lighthouse tower—Aston would probably shout at him, but he badly needed a distraction—he made his way up one of his favorite spots, the highest part overlooking the sea and the outskirts of Sheridan. Leaning over the railing, he took a lungful of the sea-salt air, feeling a wave of calm wash over him as he stared at the blue expanse before him, listening to the waves crash against the shore. However, his calm was only short-lived, as anxiety bubbled up his chest none too soon. His thoughts settled on the similar view he saw out at Hod, out at Baticul, and out at Grand Chokmah, along with the reminder of people who would never get to see that view again.

He balled his fist once more, silently cursing his powerlessness as the wind whipped against his hair. He thought that after Hod and Eldrant, the losses would stop. Thought that people finally had the time to heal. Still, why was it that he was the only one left alive? Always left behind, perpetuating his now pointless existence.

Turning his attention to the highlands, he then caught sight of what seemed like two people engaged in combat with three Eggrudas. Quite unfortunate, considering how close the two were to the town. Was his bad luck that contagious? No matter, the soldiers patrolling should catch sight of them soon and assist.

But the matter was, as Guy did a double take, was that the soldiers were not helping out at all. He watched as the patrol paused some distance from the duo, then continue on their route like nothing happened.

Guy's stomach churned at the sight. It could only mean that the two fighting were from Malkuth. Were Kimlascan soldiers really that heartless? Regardless of nationality, they were people all the same!

Clenching his teeth, he climbed on top of the railing. Steeling himself, he climbed down his perch and began to make his way towards the wall, jumping from warehouse roof to warehouse roof. Spotting a broomstick lying around, he grabbed it, considering how he would be needing a weapon if he were to push through with his plans of rescuing the two.

A few roofs later, he was on top of the city walls, with a perfect view of the battlefield. Anger threatened to rise up his chest when he realized that one of the unfortunate travelers was a woman. He wanted to believe that Kimlascan soldiers were not just mindless sister-slaying lugs of meat—and heck, he thought he got over that perception—but seeing the woman on the ground reminded him of how those soldiers burst in his home and felled his sister and her maids one by one.

Indirectly or not, they were going to kill her, just like his sister.

"Enter the amazing Guy!" 'Sword' in hand, he leapt from the wall and landed on a bird's back, bashing its head on impact with the stick he held as well as cushioning his fall with the fall of the said animal.

The other two froze upon his entrance, probably shocked at the unexpected help. However, their pause was doing him no good, as the other two birds turned their attention to him, hoping to avenge their fallen comrade.

"A little—" he barely dodged the swing one bird made, "—help—" another lucky block thanks to his stick, though he felt it slowly giving way against the latter's sharp talons, "—here!"

From the corner of his eye, he could see the other vulture preparing to divebomb again. If none of the two helped him out, he was sure to be ground meat or vulture dinner depending on which claws got to him first. Yulia help these two—

To his surprise, it was not the man that assisted him. The woman quickly dispatched the vulture attempting to dig its claws into his stomach, which left him free to roll out of danger. A quick look at his savior told him that she wielded a spear of sorts—nay, was that a deck brush? He stared in disbelief as the woman swiftly backstepped out of the way as the remaining monster dived towards her, bringing her 'weapon' down the other's head, which crackled with a burst of thunder from the head of the 'spear'. The attack coursed through the bird's body, and with a loud cry, fell lifelessly next to its companions.

It begged the question. He stared in awe at the bespectacled, brown-haired woman. If they—or at least the woman in this case—were this strong, then why—

"Hey, thanks for helping out!" A hand clapped on his shoulder caused him to tense and abandon his train of thought. "These monsters suddenly came out of nowhere and this old hag had a hard time drawing her weapon and—" Whirling around, Guy found himself face to face with an all-too familiar grin. The usual hair ornaments were gone, and the other's hair was shorter than he remembered it last, but his smile shone as brightly as ever. "—Gailardia."

"Y-Your Maj—" Eyes widening in surprise, he was about to compose himself into a practiced bow when Peony gripped his arm tightly, shaking his head as the threw a pointed glance at the soldiers rounding the corner towards them. Situation dawning on him, he nodded numbly. Right, he was presumed dead, after all, and they were in enemy territory. Wait. Speaking of which, that could only mean that the woman before him was—

"—Jade. And the lout over there is my brother, Franz." Three soldiers surrounded Jade, who had his arms folded and was giving them a thoroughly unimpressed look. Guy had to stifle a chuckle at the scene. One or the other should have been amusing, but looking at Jade in women's clothing—and sounding like it fitted him—in addition to seeing how he towered over the Sheridan sentries who looked like they did not know what they were getting into made for an interesting combination. It was not the way he expected to be reunited with him, but it was nonetheless a welcome surprise over not being able to see him again.

"Fighting along the city perimeter is a task left to us soldiers."

"The last time I checked, it wasn't illegal to fight for one's life, especially when the said soldiers were busy running away in fear."

"Tch. How dare you speak that way, wench! Learn your place!" One of the soldiers who was more or less Jade's height swung a fist at his face, which he evaded by the mere expedient of sidestepping to the left.

Jade smirked. "Is this the kind of training they have at the military academy?" Guy felt Emperor Peony shift beside him and make his way towards Jade, his mouth set into a thin line. "Because it would seem that they need to rehaul the whole system if they have been producing these kinds of graduates."

The other two, incensed, looked like they were about to pounce on Jade. Guy would have followed suit as Emperor Peony and intervened as well, if not for a voice that came up from behind them.

"What's this commotion all about?"

The three soldiers froze in their actions and looked like they were about to turn their fury onto the source of the voice instead, but upon seeing the person in question, they hurriedly straightened up and gave the person a salute.

"Commander Goldberg! These civilians were out of line, Sir! They have failed to abide by the law forbidding battles close to the city, and have also insulted the Kimlascan military on top of that!"

Frowning, Goldberg's gaze steeled themselves on the three soldiers, before falling on Jade, then Emperor Peony, then him. After what seemed to be a tense eternity, he said, "Go back to your posts. I will take care of the situation here."

"Yes, Sir!" With another salute, the three then trooped out of the scene, not without the tallest throwing Jade a smug look.

Once the three soldiers were gone, Goldberg turned to Jade and gave him a rueful smile. "I must apologize in behalf of these new recruits' behavior. They're... a little too enthusiastic, so to speak."

"I figured as much," Jade said, sighing. "Though shouldn't something be done about their power-tripping?"

"Rest assured, I will give them a strict talking-to after this, and will inform their immediate supervisors about this. Now, if I may ask, what _actually_ happened?"

"The two of them were attacked by Eggrudas," Guy said, much to his own surprise, as with the others, who began to observe him with various levels of curiosity. With a level of unperturbedness that felt foreign even to him, he pointed at where the fallen monsters lay. "None of the patrolling soldiers were helping them, so I decided to come to their rescue and we all managed to dispatch the monsters together. However, shortly after we did so, the said soldiers began picking on her."

"I see." Goldberg nodded, then turned to Jade once more, an amused expression on his face as he stroked is moustache. "And you took care of the monsters? Impressive. We could use someone as skilled as you in the army..."

Jade returned the compliment with a serene smile. "As much as that flatters me, I'm afraid that we still have business to attend to." He picked up the bag on the ground and slung it over his shoulder. "If there is nothing else of concern to discuss, may we be excused?"

"Your names. I believe I haven't caught them, except for Guy here."

"My name is Jade," Jade said without missing a beat, his expression impassive as Goldberg's brows shot up at the mention of his name. "And my companion here is Franz."

Tension was palpable in the air as Goldberg's gaze hardened on Jade, who met his gaze with equal intensity. Moments later, Goldberg relaxed and smiled, letting out a hearty chuckle. "Grand! I like your style, Miss Jade! Apologies, for a moment, you reminded me of someone I used to know. You even share the same eye and hair color!"

Jade returned the smile, pushing up his glasses as he did so. "But would I be perhaps more good looking, if I were to dare to venture a comment?"

"Lovely as this exchange is, we have to get going, Sir." Emperor Peony clapped a hand around Jade's shoulders and flashed a grin at Goldberg before he could comment. "Thank you for your help earlier."

Goldberg laughed again. "It's not a problem. Very well, keep going then."

Emperor Peony and Jade started toward the entrance to Sheridan after bowing, with Guy following suit.

"Gailardia."

Guy paused in his tracks, surprise evident on his face at being addressed.

Goldberg's expression was somber as he continued, "Kindly refrain from more foolhardy rescue attempts at this point forward. I know General Cecille vouched for you months back, but her word could only carry you so far. I know it is painful for you to see these things happening, but if you value your life and those who you live with, you'd follow this piece of advice well."

And with that, Goldberg left for the opposite direction, leaving Guy to his thoughts as he hastened to catch up with Emperor Peony and Jade, a multitude of questions lingering at the back of his mind.


	5. Chapter 4

"...And that's it. I'm surprised to see you guys again, to be honest, though by far, it's a pleasant one to date."

Jade nodded, sipping his tea thoughtfully as Guy wrapped up his story. Currently, they—Peony, Guy, Ginji, Noelle, and him—were seated around a table at Ginji and Noelle's house, sharing their stories of what happened since the siege at Grand Chokmah.

It was an understatement to say that Peony was not too thrilled about hearing how discrimination of Malkuth citizens seemed to be commonplace. Even Jade himself was half-hearted in his attempts to keep Peony from running out the house to teach those soldiers a lesson, and as such, he was thankful for the self-control Peony managed to exercise at the last minute. According to Guy, they were not the first group of people to be ignored in their time of need. Though there were no casualties reported as a result of such treatment, it was not to say that the other less fortunate citizens did not manage to escape grave injury—a fact that seemed to be bothering Peony greatly.

In fact, they would have been one of those counted among the unfortunate if Guy did not swoop in to save the day. Though Jade could have easily defeated the monsters with his weapon of choice, summoning it in front of the patrol would have drawn unnecessary attention to him. The expandable deck brush inside his pack was stored precisely to mitigate that problem, though it unfortunately took him some time before he could draw it out. Casting fonic artes back then was not a viable solution as well, considering the time it took to cast them nowadays and his lack of cover—what with Peony's artes being ineffective against the enemies which liked to stay out of his reach.

"Ginji, Noelle." The two straightened up in their seats in rapt attention. Though shocked at first to see them alive and well, they both took the news in stride—as well as Jade's new look—and welcomed them with open arms. "Pardon me for cutting to the chase so soon, but we need to borrow the Albiore as well as your abilities. Would that be a problem?"

At his request, Ginji and Noelle exchanged glances, none too reassuring judging by the grim expressions on their faces.

"As much as we could love to help, Jade," Ginji said, an uncertain look about him, "we're currently in a bind."

Alarm bells started to ring inside Jade's head at those words. He was about to grab Peony's wrist and make a run for it, when Guy caught his eye and shook his head, mouthing, "Trust them." Holding back a sigh, Jade leaned back on his seat and allowed himself to listen to Guy. His tense moment seemed to have gone unnoticed by Ginji and Noelle, who still wore perturbed looks on their faces.

"You see..." Noelle bit her lip, unable to meet his eye. "Some men from Baticul told us that if any of the Albiore were to go missing along with one of us... they will kill everyone in the city."

Jade cupped a hand to his chin in response. As much as he wanted to think that the threat was a bluff, it was not one he wanted to put to the test. _Well played._ Whoever was behind this had a good head on his or her shoulders, and certainly knew of his friends' habits quite well.

"Sorry, Jade," Noelle said, her eyes finally meeting his, "I really wish we could help, but..."

"...Dr. Gneiss might," Ginji said.

"Dr. Who—" Guy cut his own statement short after seeing the darkening look on Jade's face and the bemused one on Peony's, recognition dawning upon him. "...Oh."

"What of Saphir?" Peony asked.

"Dr. Gneiss?" Ginji peered at Peony curiously. "Rumor has it that he's working on some top secret technology at Belkend. Against his will, they say."

"Yeah, actually, he was working here at Sheridan before, but they moved him to Belkend after some of the hover drives were damaged," Noelle said, cupping a hand to her chin in thought. "They say he messed with them on purpose or something..."

Peony heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that he survived."

"I shouldn't have been surprised," Jade said. "His resilience is his only redeeming feature, if being cockroach-like is something to be proud of."

"Well, there's our answer, Jade!" Peony grinned at him. "Let's get ourselves a Saphir and an Albiore of our own! I wouldn't have put it past him to have learned how to operate the thing given all the time he spends with those machines of his!"

And so, Jade finally let out the sigh he had been holding and set out to plan how to break one of his least favorite people out of prison.

* * *

"Jade, are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Jade said as they walked down the starlit streets of Sheridan, the source of light stark against the moonless night sky.

"I'm not a moron, Jade," Peony said, squinting as he leaned forward to get a better look at Jade's face. "Something is bothering you."

"You've always had an overactive imagination." Jade pushed up his glasses and quickened his pace. "I assure you that I am perfectly fine."

"Is it about Saphir?"

 _Saphir?_ Jade continued to make his way towards the inn. _Of course it was._ Saphir—or at least Jade's relationship with him—was a complicated matter, to say the least. A few months shy of the invasion, the Malkuth Empire finally succeeded on getting custody of him from Daath, and Jade wasted no time in hauling the other out of jail to ask—nay, demand—his help in reviving the fomicry research he abandoned a long time ago. For the longest time, Saphir represented a past that Jade had long moved on from—buried in the deepest recesses of his mind. Back in the day, every time the other appeared as Dist and started spouting nonsense about bringing back the dead was the equivalent of digging a shovel into that aged dirt, which he coped with by inciting the ire of the other—may it be through ignorance or one of his caustic remarks.

So it was a surprise, really, that the recent months they worked together were surprisingly peaceful. True to this word, Saphir never raised the idea of reviving Professor Nebilim nor gave any indication that he wished to make another human replica. Jade supposed it helped that both of them did not exchange words outside fomicry theories—rather, Jade did not give Saphir much of an opportunity to speak with him outside the laboratory. As much as this change in Saphir was supposed to put him at ease, it instead left him apprehensive and he continued to distance himself from the other.

"It _is_ Saphir." Jade could feel Peony smile ruefully as he took note of his unresponsiveness. "I thought that you had no problems with him since you started working together again?"

"I haven't."

"Then what exactly _is_ your problem?"

Jade did not deign to give the other an answer, choosing instead to open the door into the inn and making his way to the rooms he reserved earlier.

"Fine, I won't pry," Peony said as they stopped outside the doors to their respective rooms. "But promise me that you'll talk to him after we haul him out of Belkend."

Jade sighed in defeat. "...Very well." There was no way out of this when Peony was so dogged about it, and he supposed that he might as well get around to taking care of the said matter instead of skirting around it as he did in the past.

Instead of a grin of triumph as Jade expected, a look of concern crossed Peony's face as he gazed at Jade searchingly. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm naturally so, in case you haven't noticed these past years."

"Jade." Peony narrowed his eyes. "Enough of your sarcasm. You don't look well, though I'm not sure if that's because of what we discussed or something else all together."

"I will concede that I'm feeling somewhat tired." It _has_ been a fairly long day, and getting attacked by Eggrudas and dealing with a bunch of haughty Kimlascan soldiers shortly thereafter certainly gave him a headache.

"Okay..." Peony was still frowning at him, clearly unconvinced. "Should I stay in your room for a while to make sure nothing's wrong?"

"There is no need to do so."

"If you say so. Just give me a call next door if you need anything, okay?"

"I will." Not that he planned to.

"And Jade," Peony lowered his voice. "Don't push yourself too hard during the rescue mission. You can rely on me and Gailardia, you know?"

Jade shrugged noncommittally. "I suppose."

"Good," Peony said, smiling at Jade. "Then rest up, we've got some way to go with the preparations!"

"Indeed." Jade opened the door to his room, tilting his head slightly towards Peony before departing. "Good night, Franz." Amidst Peony's chuckle, he closed the door behind him and sighed once more, an odd sense of deja vu washing over him as he remembered an all-too familiar situation in Chesedonia not too long ago. _Long days, indeed._


	6. Chapter 5

Someone once said that the more powerful and original minds were inclined to solitude.

That someone obviously has not met the great Dr. Saphir Ortion Gneiss, one of the brightest minds in Auldrant as of ND 2019—or so he thought of himself. However, that is not to say that circumstances have not been kind to him, for life as of late for him was more or less a series of prison cells—just waiting to be transferred from one hellhole to another. Sure, there were some reprieves in between, but those moments of freedom seemed to be no more than a countdown until the next time he was slated to be locked up again. This time, in a tightly guarded laboratory in the innermost sanctum of Belkend, the city of fon machines.

The white-washed walls of the laboratory gave off the impression of a sanatorium, and if it were not for the various books and scrap material scattered around the room, he would have thought that he was in one. Slouching back on his seat, Saphir trained his eyes on the far end of the wall of the laboratory, losing himself in his thoughts about the past.

Solitary confinement, at first, did not pose a problem to him at all. Listening to other prisoners' inane ramblings was a torturous ordeal for his beautiful mind, after all, and silence was more than welcome over that nuisance. He has always operated at his best when there was no one to disturb him, and he took joy in reveling in his own thoughts—of fon machines to be built, of experiments to be conducted. Alas, too much of everything was never a good thing, and extraordinary as Saphir was, he was only but human.

Without a fon machine for company, solitude only served as a poison for his mind, which was slowly slipping into darker territory as his confinement dragged on. Even when the requested pen and paper came, such things only served to be outlets for the thoughts that chipped away at his mind. At first, his thoughts consisted of methods in which he could escape his dreary prison. During his first few stints in prison, those more or less managed to spur him on as the days went by, and more often than not, it was not long before he was able to put them into action. However, such was not the situation when Jade had him arrested after his failed attempt to bring back his—no, _their_ —beloved Professor Nebilim.

 _Jade._ Oh, how his thoughts back then suddenly gave way to that despicable, ungrateful, four-eyed snake who he once considered a friend. Escape plots gave way to revenge plots that consumed him as he cursed the man he sacrificed everything for. But as days turned into weeks, plots turned into questions, into facts that he wanted from that man—and eventually, a desire to see him again. It was this desire that kept him tight-lipped as intelligence division officer after officer tried to interrogate him. His answer was always the same—he would only speak if it were Colonel Jade Curtiss who came down to interrogate him.

He had faith it would work. After all, did it not work before? Sure, that fool on an emperor came along as well, but what mattered was that Jade came anyway.

Though, for what seemed like an eternity, he felt that his wait was all for naught, and that the only time he would get to see him would be during his turn on the death row. Fortunately, his faith did not seem to be misplaced, for Jade did come, along with what he thought was his ticket out of solitude.

Yet, it simply served as another countdown to a prison cell change. Months of silently working with his parole officer-slash-best friend, the Kingdom of Kimlasca found it fit to stage an invasion and as fate would have had it, took him under their wing. Which was simply a fancy term for taking him as a prisoner of war.

Kimlasca's prisons were not really any different from those of Malkuth's or Daath's. Conspiracy or not, design was certainly not one of the priorities when it came to the cells he found himself in. _Same boring grey walls, same cold iron bars, same barren ceiling, same sorry excuse for bedding..._

So more or less, when the Kimlascans proposed that he could get out of jail in exchange for offering his intellect to them, he more or less jumped at the opportunity to do so, despite the fact that they were responsible for Jade's death. It was not without silent rebellion, for he did bear some resentment towards those who pulled him back into this wrenched lifestyle just as he was able to get back a sense of normalcy in his life. If bearing his companion's silence was any sign of the said normalcy, that is.

He stifled a yawn as he slumped back on his chair. The incident back at Sheridan was actually an accident, though admittedly, he was a bit more careless than usual. How was he supposed to know that the flightstone would not take kindly to his amazing enhancement? Still, the higher-ups thought it prudent to move him to a better guarded facility where he "would not be allowed to stoop to such petty tricks" again. Still, what they did not know would not hurt them, and it was that incident that made him acquire the key necessary for his escape, which was comfortably nestled inside his coat. It was just a matter of finding the right window to make a run for it, and if there was one thing he was good at—on top of his many other talents, of course—it was bidding his time.

Such were the thoughts that occupied the mind of this self-proclaimed genius when the door to his laboratory slid open to reveal the entrance of a man in a lab coat. No doubt another one of those Kimlascan dogs sent down to check on him.

"Look, if you keep on checking on me every ten minutes, I'll never—"

His eyes widened upon meeting the all-too familiar gaze of the man he once chased after so fervently.

"J—" But before he could finish the word, the other man grabbed his arm and he found himself being pulled roughly towards the exit.

"Wh—" One glare from the other was enough for him to clam up and to make his heart skip a beat.

 _Those piercing red eyes. Those flaxen brown locks._ There was no mistaking it. The person with him now was none other than Jade. But wasn't he supposed to be—no, he knew better. A silly siege would not be enough to kill someone like Jade. He was not wrong to hold on to the hope that the other would return for him. He always did. They were the Golden Duo, inseparable, always part of a half, capable of great things when put together.

A delighted smile formed on his lips as the other continued to grip his wrist tightly as they flew through the dark, deathly silent corridors. Were the two of them going to take on this Score-forsaken world on their own? Sure, that was a daunting task, but if Jade were by his side, they would be able to overcome anything, surely.

However, all such thoughts were dispelled when he heard a scuffle beyond the doorway leading to the hangar where the hovercrafts were kept. He tensed as Jade paused behind the door, still gripping his wrist. Will they have to fight? Sure, he had machines that could do the fighting, but none of them were currently at his disposal, having been destroyed back in the siege on Grand Chokmah.

"Hell's Hurricane!" A familiar voice rang in his ears as Jade pushed past the doors, though Saphir had to time to dwell on it as another voice rose above the battlegrounds.

"Razing Phoenix!" Saphir had to blink back the flash of light that blinded him. It sounded suspiciously like the blond from the Jade gang back in the day— _what was his name again?_ His train of thought was interrupted as he nearly tripped over a fallen soldier. Fighting to keep up with Jade, Saphir decided to concentrate his thoughts and efforts into weaving through the sea of bodies strewn all over the hangar.

"Ikasu Hip!"

Saphir froze on his tracks once recognition dawned upon him, oblivious to Jade narrowing his eyes at him as he let go of him and went ahead. Shocked, Saphir could only watch with undisguised horror as Peony jumped into the air and used his behind to strike a nearby soldier, who, by some miracle of Yulia, actually fell to the attack.

"And now, for the finale!" Saphir had to suppress a groan as Peony geared up for another attack as several soldiers closed in on him. "Très Bien Hip!"

Saphir watched as Peony showcased another creative use of his assets—a display worthy of the shame of the Malkuth Empire.

"Heya, Saphir!" Peony beamed at him, a little too chipper for someone who just struck down five soldiers in their midst. With his buttocks, notwithstanding. "Good to see that you're well!" The other, much to his chagrin, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, as if they were long lost friends.

"P—P—" The disbelief on Saphir's face faltered when Jade glowered at him once more. There were so many things he wanted to shout—and ask—yet, he knew better than to cross Jade when he wore that expression. Unless of course he wanted to be reacquainted with a world of agony.

"We need you to pilot this thing here," Peony—that bastard—pointed at the aircraft next to him. "We'd have Gailardia here do it," he pointed at the blond standing nearby, "but he'd probably spend more time drooling over it than actual work, so yeah." He chuckled. "Plus, you're the expert when it comes to this kind of thing, so it's all yours, mate!" Peony pushed Saphir towards the craft, which earned him a dirty look from Saphir.

"What if I refuse?"

Peony's smile did not fade at his remark. "Then we'll make you!"

Whatever protest Saphir had died in his mouth when the unmistakeable clinking of armor reached his ears. _Reinforcements._

"So soon, eh?" Peony's tone was still lively, though his expression took a serious turn as Gailardia motioned towards the entrance of the aircraft. Saphir felt himself being hoisted by his arm and practically being dragged towards the craft and shoved towards it.

"As you have undoubtedly heard, time is not on our side. You'd better hurry, Saphir!"

"I haven't agreed—"

"Jade is fending off the soldiers as we speak." A pinched look crossed Peony's face, as if he did not approve of it.

Saphir's effort to hide his surprise was all for naught. Peony? Overly concerned about Jade's well-being? That was rich, coming from the person who sent Jade around Auldrant as a glorified errand boy-slash-babysitter. Did that idiot emperor hit his head sometime after Grand Chokmah fell? Because that was the only logical explanation as to why Peony was acting like that, considering that the last time Saphir checked, Peony and Jade were at each other's throats more often than not, and the former had a nasty tendency of taking the latter for-granted, what with the former's tendency to stick the latter in all sorts of dangerous situations.

"Why don't you help him, then?" Saphir replied acidly.

Peony let out an exasperated breath. "Do you think I didn't offer when he came up with this insane plan?"

With a dramatic sigh, Saphir climbed into the aircraft and hurried towards the engine room. Much as he was confused about his feelings towards Jade, he certainly was not going to get any answers if the other party was dead. Making his way to the flightstone, he pulled out a similar object out of his robes. Though a normal person might be wary about testing a device during such a critical moment, Saphir was by no means an ordinary person in that respect. After all, he was a genius, and it was with total confidence that he replaced the craft's flightstone with the modified one he designed.

Seeing no outward complications only served to fuel his ego and the smile on his face. However, his delight was short-lived, for the vehicle shook violently. The impact cost him his balance and he found himself flat on his behind as a result. Making a face as he unsteadily got to his feet, he headed out of the room. At least his unwelcome companions did not witness his fall, but whoever did that to the craft would have to pay one way or another.

Saphir noted Gailardia's somewhat envious expression as he settled himself in the pilot's seat, and as such, he had difficulty hiding the smirk that crossed his lips as he switched on the dashboard.

His expression turned somewhat grim as he caught sight of the battle going on below them. Jade was holding his own against what seemed to be a platoon of soldiers, with a few mages throwing nukes from behind. Each soldier that neared him seemed to have a death wish, for they fell one by one to his experienced spear.

Seeing Jade in combat was by no means a first for Saphir, having been on the receiving end of his strikes and artes many a time. Yet, the sight of him wielding his weapon with grace and finesse was one that never failed to fill him with awe, mixed with horror as it was that moment. Sure, Jade's artes were in a class of their own, being some of the most powerful in Auldrant, but his spearmanship was one sight to behold. Saphir found himself holding his breath as Jade threw a foot backward to evade a rain of sword thrusts, hair flying as he deftly blocked an incoming ice arte from one of the mages at the back. Jumping backwards, Jade took advantage of the distance to sweep his spear at his assailants. The movement caused the frontliners to double back to avoid it, though some unlucky soldiers caught the attack full swing and crumpled to the ground.

"Saphir, we'd better go." Of course, Peony had to snap him out of his reverie, being the uncouth individual that he was.

"Tsk." Saphir made no effort to hide his annoyance with Peony, but quickly obliged. Deep down, he knew that Peony was right, but he was not going to glorify the bastard by admitting it.

The aircraft jolted forward as requested, its movement causing the soldiers to break formation to avoid being run over. Jade took advantage of the commotion by falling back. Moments later, Saphir could hear telltale movement from behind the cockpit and a hatch being closed. Jade must have made it back, if the incoming footsteps growing in volume were any indication.

One lever pull later, the aircraft continued its taxi and ascent, unmindful of the soldiers that scrambled to get out of its way. A triumphant smile formed on Saphir's face as the airship slowly flew out of the hangar, however, it was short-lived as he saw a fire arte coming from the front.

Making a sharp swerve to the right, the fireball grazed the side of the hull, causing the craft to shake violently. Saphir swore under his breath as the noted some spells coming from behind, as well as the landship that loomed ahead. Were they really that adamant to keep them from leaving? With the power packed by that landship, it would likely take away half the town in its attempts to shoot them down.

Still, he smirked to himself once more as the airship continued to gain speed, dodging, in narrowly evading, the shots fired at it. It was his first time operating the craft, but as was his usual with fon machines, it yielded easily to him, and no one would have been the wiser with regard to his flight inexperience.

"Saphir, what are you—"

"Will you shut up for now and hold on to something, you idiot?" he said sharply, brow furrowed in concentration as the craft zoomed towards the landship. The shots started becoming more haphazard, until they eventually stopped. Flying past the landship, the cannons did not seem to take notice of them as they soared over Belkend and eventually, past the Aberrian Plains.

"Saphir, what you did was just nuts, but brilliant, since it got the army to stop firing at us. Just what on Mother Auldrant did you do?"

"Invisibility barrier, developed by yours truly," Saphir said, gaze still fixed on the horizon. "I still have to work on reducing the shimmer, but it's otherwise functional and undetectable from the outside."

"As expected of the great Dr. Gneiss..." Gailardia murmured behind him.

"That is well and all, but must you risk our lives on an experimental device?" A strange, albeit familiar feminine voice snapped at him, and he felt his face flush red at the quip. After he singlehandedly saved their lives! _How dare she?_ Whoever their fifth companion was, she was going to get an earful from him.

"Excuse me?" he said indignantly. "After my magnificent flying, that's all you have to say?"

"I've seen rappigs fly better."

"Why, you—" Whirling around to glare at the offending individual, he found himself greeted by Jade's cool gaze. Confused, he looked around the cabin for their mysterious fifth companion, only to come up with nothing. Gaze falling on Peony, Gailardia, then Jade again. He froze. So the reason why Jade refused to speak earlier was...

"I suppose it was too much for me to expect a certain degree of passable coherence from cockroaches," Jade said in that irritating tone from earlier, arms folded. A cut along the side of his cheek only added to the fierceness behind his glare, which was more than enough for Saphir to train his eyes back on the road.

Why in Yulia's name did Jade sound like a condescending version of Nephry? He stole a glance behind him, past Jade's bloodstained lab coat. His eyes widened in disbelief after spotting the clothing Jade had clutched in one hand. _Women's clothing?_

As if reading his thoughts with his stolen glance, Jade threw an unimpressed look at him, turned heel, and left the cockpit.


	7. Chapter 6

With a sigh, Jade entered one of the small resting areas of the airship, changed into his set of clean clothing, seated himself on a nearby bed, and began the arduous task of braiding his hair. Blood and grime made the usually trivial task somewhat more challenging and inefficient, but Jade welcomed the distraction.

Perhaps he was exhausted from his earlier workout, but his arms felt like lead at that point in time—if responsive at all. An amused smile crossed his face as he fumbled with tying his hair, and after ten minutes of failing to do the job properly, let his arms fall to his side and rested his hands on the thin foam mattress. He let out a heavy breath as he gave up on the task. Was age finally catching up to him? He often joked about it in the past, but he himself knew better, of course. As a soldier, endurance was of utmost importance, and his was something he took pride in, among other things. Though it was still his reputation in fonic artes that preceeded him, his spearmanship and prowess in the battlefield was not something to scoff at. While most fonists would opt out of the frontline and would rather stick to the rear, Jade made sure he was capable of handling himself in either environment, and it was one of the characteristics that made him an efficient and versatile commander.

As far as battle plans went, he supposed that the plan to rescue Saphir went well overall. Noelle volunteered to sneak them aboard her Albiore during a delivery to Belkend, which Jade readily accepted. Funnily, while the Kimlascans were purportedly concerned about her possible disappearance, they did not seem to mind the presence of additional cargo in their midst.

Saphir was also surprisingly obedient, more so than usual. Which helped when the expected trap was finally sprung, and Jade found himself facing off against what seemed to be a platoon of soldiers. Most were novices and fell easily to his spear, but there were those that gave him trouble and managed to land blows on him—the most significant being the scratch on his cheek and the blow across his stomach that left him somewhat winded amongst the multiple bruises he sustained.

A knock on the door broke through his train of thought. "May I come in?"

"You may."

The door creaked open to reveal Guy, who had a pensive expression on his face as he took in Jade's disheveled appearance.

"You're injured."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Without waiting for an invitation, Guy took a seat next to him. "Stay still."

Jade continued staring blankly at Guy as the other held up a hand next to his cheek. There was a slightly pinched look about Guy as he furrowed his brows in concentration. A familiar warmth began to wash over Jade's cut, only to quickly fade as Guy's hand fell to his side as he breathed heavily, as if he ran several laps around town.

A rueful smile crossed Guy's face. "Seems that I still can't extend my healing abilities beyond myself."

"I see." Jade shrugged noncommittally as he pulled out a bandage and placed it over his cut. "No matter. It'll heal."

"Yeah, but..." Guy paused, seemingly uncertain about whether to continue his statement or not.

Jade raised a brow at him. "But?"

"Mm... Thought I could be useful to others for once, y'know?" Refusing to meet Jade's eye, Guy leaned forward, folding his arms across his lap. "Ever since, it's always been me who was left alive, while everyone else died. I'm always the one being protected, always the one who watched as everyone fell around me."

"I thought I was able to come to terms with it—Mary's sacrifice—and that there was a reason to live beyond revenge. But when that situation happened again several months back..."

Unfolding his hands, he stared at them bitterly. "I... couldn't save them. My subjects..." He balled his hand into a fist, shaking slightly, "I thought I had the strength to do so. But it wasn't enough!"

"I would hardly call a one versus a hundred a fair battle," Jade said. "There is no reason for you to beat yourself up over it."

Guy faced Jade, an agitated look about him. "But you managed to fend off those soldiers at Belkend!"

Jade narrowed his eyes at Guy, who involuntarily inched backwards at the intensity of his gaze. "I was raised to be a soldier and have stained my hands with countless people's blood. There is no comparison to be made between Colonel Jade Curtiss, also known as the Necromancer, who has taken thousands of lives on the battlefield, and Count Gailardia Galan Gardios, former servant of House Fabre, who has bought countless apples for breakfast."

"I—" A sharp look from Jade promptly cut his sentence off. "Sorry."

"There is no need for an apology," Jade said as he trained his eyes on the steel doorway. "I am but an unsympathetic person by nature."

"Still, I shouldn't have dumped these all on you. Or anyone for that matter."

"Keeping it to yourself isn't exactly going to help you keep yourself in check in the long run." Jade's thoughts flickered towards the signing on the peace treaty back in Yulia City, where Guy had to raise some of his pressing concerns of all places.

Guy must have been thinking of the same thing, for his expression darkened momentarily, then gave way to a sheepish smile. "Right."

Before Jade or Guy could say anything more, the door flew open.

Jade lightly placed a hand over his forehead and shook his head in disapproval. "Your Majesty, has no one ever taught you that it is rude not to knock before entering?"

"And didn't I tell you to quit calling me by that name?" Peony said. "It's Franz, remember?"

Jade sighed. "That is besides the point."

Guy then excused himself from the room, perhaps noting the sudden rise of tension in the air, which was slowly becoming palpable.

For a while, Jade and Peony simply engaged each other's gazes, neither willing to back down. Peony was the first one to give in, shrugging helplessly as he took the space Guy vacated.

"You going to talk to Saphir before we arrive at his namesake?"

"Is that an order?"

Peony sighed. "Just a strongly worded request from your so-called liege. Especially since you promised back in Sheridan. The poor soul has been quiet since you left, but I could tell that he desperately wants to talk to you."

"I am not in the mood to deal with listening to the ramblings of a mental asylum escapee."

"Come on, Saphir isn't that terrible!"

"You're not the one he followed around like some Yulia-forsaken puppy back in the day."

"That's true," Peony said, "But why don't you give him a second chance? He hasn't bothered you since you both started working again, right?"

For that, Jade had no words. Why indeed? Was he that adverse to reminders of his past? No. He was just annoyed with Saphir as was his custom. Annoyed that he followed him despite the unwanted vibes he was giving off. Annoyed that he whined and whined instead of bearing pain quietly. Annoyed that he kept on clinging to the past instead of moving on. And most of all, annoyed that he still considered him a friend, when he made it as clear as day that he did not want anything to do with him.

Yet, when all was said and done, he still turned to him as a research partner. There was no denying the other's prowess with fon machines, and who was he to refuse when a valuable resource willingly offered himself for the cause? Still, it did not explain why he agreed to be his parole officer and research partner once more back in the day.

"We'll be landing shortly to rest for the day," Peony said, getting up from the bed. "Gailardia and I will be hunting for food while you and Saphir set up camp."

"Wouldn't I be better equipped to handle our food hunt? While I trust Guy in this respect, you can't tell the difference between a Great Rugnican death cap from a regular one."

"Very funny, Jade. That was a long time ago." Peony threw him a sour look, as if daring him to say that he was kidding. "No, you still look a bit pale, and you just fended off a whole troop of soldiers." He placed his hands on his hips as he turned to face Jade. "Plus, we don't have any matches, and you're the one who knows his way around fire artes. I trust you could start a fire without burning the whole island."

"Don't tempt me."

"You'll need to rest first if you hope to do that," Peony said, gesturing towards the bed. "I'll wake you up once we land."

"Must you act like a mother hen?" Jade shook his head in disapproval, though his limbs _did_ feel like they wanted to sink into the bed. "Very well, in any case. I suppose these old bones could use some rest."

Peony grinned widely. "That's my Jade!"

Suppressing a shudder, Jade shot a pointed look at Peony. "Please don't use that disturbing name."

"Ehh, an eye for an eye," Peony said, his smile still plastered on his face.

"Weren't you taught not to play with fire?" Jade's eyes glittered dangerously as he smiled. "In any case, shall I teach you a lesson to that effect?"

"I'm not sticking around to find out." Still laughing, Peony made his hasty exit, leaving Jade to comply with his earlier order.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Jade woke up, and judging by the lack of movement, it seemed that they finally landed and that his companions already went on their way to do their assigned tasks. Slightly annoyed that Peony did not bother waking him up, he trudged out of the aircraft. After sparing a quick glance at a nearby small patch of woods, he made his way towards the nearest figure he could see on the moonlit field.

Much to Jade's dismay, it was Saphir. He was frowning at some wood gathered by his feet, clearly unsure of how to start a fire. Sighing, Jade began murmuring a spell under his breath and flicked his finger towards the firewood. Saphir did a double take as the wood lit up, flames licking his shoes as he hurriedly jumped back to stamp it out. He scowled behind him, only to meet Jade's piercing red gaze, causing his scowl to fade quickly. Cowed by Jade's look, Saphir averted his gaze and sat on a nearby log, folding his arms across his lap and leaning forward towards the fire.

For a while, the two simply stared blankly into the fire, until Saphir broke the silence that hung over them. "Jade? Why are you here?"

"His Majesty told me that you wanted to talk to me. So talk."

"I..." Saphir trailed off, surprise still etched on his face.

"Is it too much to expect coherence from a cockroach?"

"Can you turn off the snark for the moment and wait for a while?" Saphir glared at him. "I'm trying to gather my thoughts!"

Jade blinked in surprise at Saphir's outburst, a notable first in his history of outbursts. Saphir calling him out on his snark was certainly something celebration-worthy, as Jade was under the impression that Saphir took his caustic remarks to heart.

"Finally! You never took me seriously."

"You never acted like you deserved it."

Saphir's ears turned pink at the accusation, and for a moment, Jade thought he would rise to the bait. "Maybe you're right."

"Oh?" Jade raised a brow in response, his expression giving no hint of his surprise. Saphir? Acknowledging something other than his supposed genius? Was Auldrant flat as a mad scientist once proposed?

"I... didn't really know how to stand up for myself back in the day. It didn't help that I was that snivelling fool always on your heels, worshiping the very ground you stood on."

"...Who are you and what have you done to Saphir?" Indeed, what happened to that ego the size of Mt. Roneal?

"I've had a lot of time to think about things and... I guess I changed." Saphir lifted his gaze towards Jade. His gaze was unsteady, but his tone was surprisingly even. "You once told me that people change and... I guess it took me a decade longer to do so. And to accept that as a fact of life. Among other things."

"'Among other things'?"

"I..." Saphir faltered, and upon realizing what he said, tore his eyes away from Jade, suddenly interested in the dancing fire before him. "Will you promise not to get mad?"

"I cannot."

"Right." Saphir grinned feebly. "Very well then. I might as well risk it." Getting up from his seat, he shuffled towards Jade, nearly tripping over a rock as he did so. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he regained his bearings, taking care not to stumble again. Hesitating for a moment once his eyes met Jade's, he visibly gulped as he raised a gloved hand to Jade's cheek. Tentatively tucking away a strand of Jade's hair, he tiptoed to press his lips against Jade's, who received it stoically.

Moments later, Saphir broke off, his expression that of astonishment. "...You didn't hit me."

Jade folded his arms and smiled serenely. "Do you want me to?"

"Yes—I mean, no!" Saphir's cheeks flushed once more, and Jade could have sworn he heard Saphir mutter something like, "hit on me," but he had no time to ponder it as Saphir spoke out loud once more. Still, Saphir ought to notice his lack of enthusiasm regarding the matter.

"...There's someone else, isn't there?"

And notice he did. "Excuse me?"

"Peony."

Jade burst into a laugh. Ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous. "We don't see each other that way. Besides, he's still busy pining for Nephry. Idiotic as he might be, he is not about to mistake me for my sister."

"Even so... You... really look like her right now."

"I'm not a woman, no matter how much I look like one."

"But does Peony know that?"

"I'm now fairly certain that the Kimlascan army must have swapped your brain with a rappig's, as I don't recall your mind being this retarded the last time we were researching fomicry."

Saphir folded his arms and pouted indignantly. "My mental faculties are in tip-top shape, thank you very much!"

"Then act like they are."

A still silence fell over the two, punctuated by the crackling of flames as they both steeled themselves, waiting for someone to speak.

Saphir unfolded his arms, still staring at the ground. "Hey, Jade?"

"Hmm?"

Saphir stole a glance at Jade and swallowed as he looked away once more. "I want to be by your side."

"I thought I told you to keep your head, Saphir."

"I know you don't feel that way about me." Saphir trudged on, as if taking no notice of his biting remark. "But still. No matter what." Biting his lip, he shifted slightly on his feet while clutching his own arm. "I know I sound like I'm forcing myself on you. Maybe I am. But that's the way I feel right now." He took a deep breath and raised his eyes to meet Jade's. "I love you, Jade."

"I don't."

A hurt look flashed across Saphir's face, and he hung his head as he muttered, "I know."

"Though... it would be wrong of me to say that I hate you," Jade said, pausing as he glanced at the nearby wooded area once more. Without waiting for a reply, he headed towards the small forest, leaving a slack-jawed Saphir in his wake.

* * *

"How long have you been listening in?" Jade asked with a beatific smile as he popped in behind two retreating figures.

"No, we just happened to pass by," Peony said as he smiled unabashedly at Jade, while Guy had the shame to look guilty at being caught.

"I see. It just so happened that you both positioned yourselves behind a tree, conveniently within earshot of our beloved campsite," Jade's smile turned icy as he turned to Guy, who returned his smile with a discomfitted one of his own. "Now, Guy, if you would be so kind to explain..."

"His Majesty thought he saw something when we were returning. Of course, I couldn't leave him to go off on his own, so I followed, and—"

"I wouldn't expect any less in the way of sorry excuses." The lines around Jade's mouth deepened. "You are dismissed."

"Sorry, Jade!" Bowing deeply while clutching what seemed to be an armful of berries to his chest, Guy scurried off towards where Saphir stood, leaving Jade with a beaming Peony and a small trail of berries in his haste.

Jade turned to Peony. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," Peony said, a grin still plastered on his face. "Excellent love confession, by the way."

"Is that so?" Jade said, his smile turning impish. "Flattering as that sounds, would you like some assistance in waking up?" Fonons glimmered around Jade's arm as he summoned his spear, eyeing it thoughtfully. "I shall gladly assist you in doing so..."

"Fine, fine." Peony raised his arms in surrender. "No love confessions, just Saphir... being Saphir."

Jade dissipated his spear, folding his arms as he continued smiling. "How long have you known?"

"A while." Peony shrugged noncomittally as he folded his arms behind his head. "Who knows? Maybe since we were kids? Saphir's always got it bad for you, y'know?"

Jade grimaced. "Saphir is an idiot."

"An idiot who knows what he wants. Which leaves you as...?"

"A man who has no time for this nonsense."

"Saphir seemed very serious about it, if you ask me."

Feeling a headache coming along, Jade removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He has lost his mind while in Kimlascan captivity."

"You know, it would be easier if you just admitted you actually care for Saphir one way or another."

"This is rich coming from a person who once told me that he was a fool for believing I had feelings."

"Jade!" Peony's smile faded, his mouth drawn into a glower as he grabbed Jade's collar and pushed him back. "Can the snark for a moment and listen to me!"

Pain shot up Jade's back, his hair tie snagging on a low branch and snapping as he slammed against a nearby tree. "So you think you could figure it out when I, hailed as one of the greatest fonic geniuses in Auldrant, could not?"

Peony's grip tightened on his shirt. "Understanding feelings isn't like reading about advanced fonology!"

"Should it matter what kind of science it is if the one I'm talking to is an imbecile?"

Fury painted Peony's features for a moment, with fiery blue and cold red meeting as the two locked gazes.

"I..." Sighing resignedly, Peony let his arms fall to his side, his grim features stark in the moonlight that seeped through the trees. "It's all messed up, Jade."

He cast his eyes upon the ground, covering his face with a shaky hand. "Every time I look at you, I don't know who I'm seeing anymore. I... keep seeing Nephry, instead of my smart, cold-hearted childhood friend..."

"I was really scared, y'know." Balling his hand into a fist, he lifted his gaze heavenward. "When you took on all those soldiers on your own. I know I've sent you to dangerous places countless times, but... this felt different for some reason, and, urgh... Damn it!" He slammed his fist against another nearby tree, causing some leaves to flutter as they fell. "I... in a way, I guess I'm jealous of Saphir. He's so certain about what he wants and what he sees, and here I am, unable to tell the difference between you and Nephry..."

"Now, I'm truly convinced that you must have hit your head sometime during that battle we had this morning." Jade said, taking in Peony's pained expression with disinterest. So, Saphir actually had a point. An idiot could easily read the mind of another idiot, it would seem. "Else, you are stressed. Hyperbolic as it sounds, you have, in fact, lost almost everything precious to you. It is understandable if such has messed with your normal thought processes for the moment. Though I expect that once this is over, you should regain some sort of semblance of human intelligence."

Peony let out a weak chuckle. "I really shouldn't expect any sympathy from you, huh?"

"Isn't that a given?"

"Right, right." After letting out another small laugh, his gaze flickered past Jade's shoulder. "Your hair..."

Jade folded his arms and raised a brow, ignoring his disheveled hair. "I wonder whose fault it was."

"Wait a minute." Frowning slightly, Peony ran a hand through his pockets. "Here." He fished something out of his pocket and held out a small, polished object towards Jade. "Use this."

In the dim light, Jade could make out a bit of blue, and upon seeing its shape, he frowned. "...I thought I told you to throw that out."

"Must've forgotten." Peony shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, take it."

"No." Jade pushed up his glasses and averted his gaze from the all-too familiar cylindrical hair piece resting on Peony's palm. Upala. The precious stone he was named after—a stone of hope.

"And what are you going to use to keep your hair braided? The last time I checked, you left everything with Noelle and Ginji back in Sheridan. Use this for now, and throw it out once you're done or do whatever you want with it." Peony's tone was flippant, but his smile did not reach all the way to his eyes as he said the last statement. "I'll braid your hair for you."

"If you must." Jade sighed in defeat and grudgingly allowed Peony to braid his hair.

"You call this a braid?" Peony said disapprovingly as he expertly weaved through Jade's hair.

"I don't have time to keep up with the latest trends in fashion, as I'm a very busy man."

"I wouldn't call it a 'trend' as it is looking like a decent human being." Peony said as he continued with his task. "And done."

Jade did not need to look and would not admit it, but Peony probably did a better job on his hair than the sorry excuse he did earlier that day.

"Now, that's more like it." Satisfied, Peony took a step back and nodded as he admired his handiwork. "Also, once we're done eating, take a break for the rest of the trip—sleep through it if you must. No planning and strategizing until we reach Ortion Cavern."

"Is this another one of your strongly worded requests, Your Majesty?"

"No. It's an order. As a concerned... friend."

"How delightfully ironic." An amused smile escaped Jade. "But very well. I shall humor you for a bit. Pray tell, what will you do in case something comes up while I'm asleep?"

"The three of us will come up with something," Peony said cheerfully, a tone Jade found none too reassuring. "Seriously, though, we'll call you if we're unable to handle it. That fair enough?"

"I suppose so."

"Anyway, let's go back. Saphir must be getting all worked up since you left him hanging."

Jade suppressed a groan. "Don't remind me." Regardless, he followed Peony out of the forest, towards where the others waited.


	8. Chapter 7

To say that the Order of Lorelei was in chaos was an understatement that would make Yulia roll in her grave.

...Or so Anise thought. With the foundations of its religion shattered and the numbers of its military force reduced to a few hundred—no thanks to the late Dorian General Grants's defection—it was a miracle that there were still those who supported the organization as followers. With the number of fanatics still clinging to the Score and Daath's greatly reduced military power, restructure and reform were proving to be a great nightmare as ever. Well, to be fair, Anise and company also had a hand in reducing those numbers, and it was to their credit that the Order of Lorelei found themselves six God-Generals and one Commandant short.

Fortunately, Cantabile, the commander of the Order's 6th Division, reappeared as hell was slowly breaking loose post-Eldrant siege. Though she refused to divulge the details concerning the mission she undertook, she was a known Ion-sympathizer back in the day and Grand Maestro Tritheim trusted her enough to allow her to take over the vacant position of Commandant.

It was with these circumstances that Anise was offered the promotion to Conductor and along with it, the position of Adjuntant Commandant—an opportunity she quickly seized. Even though her ultimate goal was to become the Fon Master, it was something that did not happen overnight, and taking over what was left of the six divisions was a big step up as any. Reforms were much needed after all—especially regarding the clause requiring the Fon Master to have an exceptional command of the Seventh Fonon, as Anise's affinity with it is unremarkable at best.

Regardless, it was going to be a long, bumpy road ahead. It was not the position she wanted, but she supposed that the fact that she got to order people around did not hurt. The best part was that they had to listen to her despite her age as she reported directly to Cantabile, who quickly made a reputation as a no-nonsense commander who had zero-tolerance for inefficiency.

Unfortunately, Anise's current mission was an undertaking that she had to take on alone, as far as she was concerned, she was now at a point teetering between life and death, with little margin for messing up.

"Natalia, that's sugar you're holding, not salt," she said sweetly, though her inner self longed to shove Natalia out of the way and show her how proper cooking was done—though locking her out of the kitchen sounded like a better idea.

"Oh!" Natalia's eyes widened in shock at her mistake, quickly setting aside the offending ingredient's container. "I'm sorry."

Taking a deep breath, Anise counted quickly from one to five, then smiled reassuringly at Natalia. Mother Auldrant, she'd better be getting ten times her current pay after this! "It's OK." Even if it was the third time today that she mistook the sugar for the salt. "Just get the salt, and sprinkle some lightly over the pan like I did yesterday."

"OK." Eyes narrowed in concentration, Natalia then took a pinch of salt and began to sprinkle it into the pan, albeit awkwardly.

Anise heaved a sigh of relief. Mission "Protect Princess Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and Tonight's Dinner", accomplished. Yulia forbid they meet their untimely end thanks to Natalia's experiments. It would defeat the purpose of her presence there, after all. Though Daath had to turn a blind eye to Kimlasca's aggression towards Malkuth as it lacked the political clout and military force to function as backups, it was not as if the top brass was planning to take this breach of peace lying down.

"Commander Tatlin!" Breaking her line of thought, an Oracle Knight entered and paused before Anise. "An unknown ship has been spotted making its way toward us. It has breached the whirlpool security and is most likely at" the mouth of Ortion Cavern as we speak."

"I see." Anise pursed her lips at the report, none too pleased by the turn of events. "Why didn't you inform me earlier? All vessels within half a mile's radius of Ortion Cavern should have been reported to me." And be placed under heavy surveillance, Anise wanted to add, but the soldier looked like he wanted to say something.

"Apologies, but the vessel was only detected by our radar around 200 meters into—"

"Commander!" Another soldier came bursting in the kitchen. "Some intruders have been apprehended at the entrance of the cavern. They claim to be your friends, and are currently being detained at the front."

"OK, I'm on—"

"Anise?" Whirling around, Anise found Natalia next to her, with an uncertain look on her face. "Did they just say... 'friends'? I'd like to see them as well."

"No," Anise said flatly. "What if they aren't who they claim to be?"

"I'll stay in the background until you're able to ascertain their identity." There was a silent plea in Natalia's tone, and Anise could not help but feel pity for her, as she had the most restricted movement among the unfortunate souls taking refuge in Ortion Cavern. "I do not want to miss an opportunity to see our friends again, if those are the people at the entrance."

"Fine, but—" The impatient noise that escaped Anise gave way to a horrified gasp as she realized something important. "Natalia, the pan!"

"Ah!" Natalia daintily put a hand to her mouth. "You're right!"

Anise let out a long suffering sigh as she waited for Natalia to turn off the stove. She should have known better than to take her eyes off Natalia in the kitchen—if anyone could be counted on to burn water, it would be her.

On second thought, perhaps ten times her current salary was underpay. It better be twenty times plus a week's vacation at Keterburg once this was all over.

–

Ortion Cavern was a damp, chilly cave located at the southwestern part of the Radessian Continent. Due to the numerous whirlpools and unpredictable weather phenomena around the area, people did not make it a habit to visit the place, which made it an ideal location for hiding something—or someone. Monsters, however, had no such qualms and made the place their home. As such, Anise's squad spent their first week clearing the area of monsters in an effort to make part of the cave habitable. There was not much they could do about the cave's topography—cool, slippery stone floors and arched walls—but for the most part, it was livable.

It was with this in mind—the image of a battle-hardened commander who reconquered land—that Anise marched on towards the entrance, back straight, chest out. However, all formality was forgotten once she recognized one of the figures being detained at the entrance. "Guy! Is that really you?" Anise broke into a smile and wasted no time latching herself around the waist of a familiar short-haired blond. The owner of the said waist promptly responded by roughly pushing her off, causing her to lose her balance and land flat on her behind. It was Guy, alright.

"Commander! Are you alright?" Anise felt someone kneel next to her as her face scrunched up in pain.

"Ow..." She rubbed her back gingerly, and gratefully took the hand offered to her. "I'll be fine." Approaching Guy, though notably giving him a wider berth, she put her hands on her hips and pouted at him. "What was that for?"

"S-sorry..." he managed to say as he raised his arms in surrender, throwing an apprehensive glance at the sword pointed at his back.

"Boo, you're still not over that thing?"

"Only when you take me by surprise." He grinned nervously at Anise. "Please don't do that again."

"Aww, OK." Leaving Guy with a smile, Anise turned her attention to the other three arrivals flanked by several Oracle Knights, receiving the same sword pointed treatment as Guy.

"Yo, Anise! Good to see that you're well!" One of them was grinning at her, a tanned blond who looked oddly like—

Anise's eyes widened in shock as recognition dawned upon her. "Pe—" Catching a hint of warning from the man's gaze, she quickly changed tack. "—pleasure to see you again!" Right, he was supposedly dead, was he not? "My, you're looking as handsome as ever!"

Emperor Peony chortled as a confused air filled the cavern entrance. "Indeed, indeed. "

Anise smiled daintily in response, gaze flickering towards the other two with Emperor Peony. If he was alive, that must mean that the Colonel should be around the corner somewhere. But where is he? The white-haired man in a lab coat who was twiddling his thumbs and was refusing eye contact must be none other than Dist—though he certainly looked a lot more vulnerable without the ostentatious collar and his flying chair. The other person with them was a woman with flaxen brown hair tied into a braid. She seemed to be very much interested in studying the cavern wall, for she had her arms folded and her spectacled gaze met no one's eye. Unless...

The woman's gaze fell on her, and one brief moment of eye contact later, she knew. And was not sure what to feel about it. "Lower your weapons, everyone!" Well, she could mull on it a bit more once they moved to somewhere more private. "I'll be escorting my guests inside. Continue to monitor the outside for any unwanted activity."

She turned to Emperor Peony as the soldiers dispersed. "I'm afraid our accommodations aren't what you're used to, but..."

"No buts! It's just nice to see another familiar face after so long!"

Anise cracked a smile as she led the way. "I guess so."

–

And so, that was how Anise found herself back in her sorry excuse for an office, which was more or less just a hollow part of the cave tucked away in the innermost part of the cavern, with a table and some makeshift chairs at the center of it. The ever elusive Princess Natalia took it upon herself to beat them there, much to the surprise of a certain Gailardia Galan Gardios.

"Princess Natalia!" Guy's eyes widened in shock after seeing her idling by the desk. "You're alive!"

"Of course I am!" she said, placing her hands on her hips. "You don't believe the lies they have been spreading, do you? I'm made of sterner stuff than that!"

Guy was the only one who looked remotely pleased, albeit embarrassed. Emperor Peony's expression turned baleful at her presence, and Dist looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, still throwing wary glances at the flaxen-haired woman with them. The woman—or the Colonel as she suspected—was pensive, observing Guy and Natalia's exchange with a hint of amusement on her—or was it his—lips.

Emperor Peony fixed his gaze on the woman. "Jade, you could have warned me that this was the truth we were going to discover here."

"You never asked," "Jade" said in response, raising a brow at him as if to mock his intelligence. If Emperor Peony's confirmation of the woman's identity proved to be lacking, the woman's—nay, Colonel's—response proved to be more than adequate. Dressing up as a woman did nothing to soften the Colonel's barbs, that much Anise was able to ascertain.

"I certainly did not expect to see you here, Anise, but this arrangement explains a lot of matters and would simplify retelling our situation" The Colonel's gaze then drifted towards Anise, who managed to keep her expression impassive despite the amusing situation before her. It was not without difficulty, as her gut felt like it was about to burst any moment due to the laughter she was holding in.

"Your," she took a deep breath, easing the tension in her chest as the urge to laugh ebbed away, "situation?"

He threw a pointed glance at Natalia, then Guy. "Guy, explain."

"Me? Why—" Guy's protest fell short as he noted the none-too comforting sub-zero smile on the Colonel's face. "OK, OK..."

As the story went on, Anise could not help but notice how Natalia's expression visibly dimmed. It seemed that she was not the only one who took note of it, for the Colonel was also regarding Natalia thoughtfully from the corner of his eye, a hand cupped to his chin in thought.

"Say, Colonel," Anise said as Guy finished his story, "how did you know that you'd find us here? Besides Grand Maestro Tritheim and Commandant Cantabile, the only ones who know that Natalia's here are the people stationed here, and none of us have left since we were posted at this place, and I'm the only one allowed to send any outside communication."

"Noir was quite helpful in that regard."

"I see." Anise nodded. Right, Noir. She was the one who pointed them to Ortion Cavern, after all, claiming that she made a lifelong promise to someone—to help out a certain Kimlascan princess whenever she was in trouble. Though Anise was not incredibly fond of her, there was no denying that it was a good idea to remain in her good books, especially when one considered her mercenary-like status. "But Colonel, I totally didn't expect you'd go and work with her! Weren't you trying to get her arrested some time back?"

The Colonel shrugged. "When one is no longer employed by the military, such matters are the least of my concerns. In line with that, there's no reason to keep on calling me 'Colonel'. 'Jade' will do."

"Fiiine." Anise pouted at the Col—Jade. Fighting the force of habit was difficult, to say the least. "But how did you get here? We only detected your ship a few meters shy of the entrance."

"It's all thanks to Saphir here!" Emperor Peony said, clapping a hand around Dist's shoulders. Oblivious to the other's discomfort, he continued, "His invisibility thing's a life saver, though it's a shame it had to conk out when we were so close to the finish line!"

Dist quickly extracted himself from Emperor Peony's grip, pushing him back rather roughly as he threw a vehement glance at him. "At least I was doing something useful instead of just bench warming!"

"Saphir, not all of us could be ace pilots like you! At least I did something, right?"

"A cheagle could be trained to do that job, Pea Brain!"

"Anise, is there some place I may retire to?" Jade asked, sighing as he turned to Anise. "These old bones do not take kindly to long trips, and it's quite tiresome to hear these two argue."

"My room is at the far end of the cavern, though privacy's pretty much the same as what we have here in this room."

"That will do," Jade said, leaving the room.

Anise huffed. How rude! Leaving without a "goodbye" or even a "thank you"! Sure, Dist was a bit annoying, but did it really dampen his mood that much? Plus, they just saw each other again after like, months. Couldn't he summon just a teensy bit of excitement at seeing her and Natalia again?

"Excuse me," Guy said, striding towards the door and slipping through it, probably to follow Jade.

Guy's exit seemed to snap the two out of their argument as they turned to see him disappear. "Saphir." Emperor Peony's expression turned serious as he addressed Dist as if they were not bickering earlier. "Now that Jade's gone, could you tell me—us—what seems to be the matter? You've been stealing worried glances at Jade this whole time."

"I wasn't!" Dist said as he stared at the floor, shifting nervously on his feet.

"Right." Emperor Peony raised a brow at him. "And selenias don't bloom during night time."

"I can't! I promised I wouldn't—"

Emperor Peony grabbed Dist by his collar, throwing him a glare. "Whatever you promised him, you broke it the moment you started acting like a rappig in the vicinity of a blazing furnace. So spill." He let go of Dist, causing him to stagger backwards. "What the hell is going on with Jade?"

"Dist—"

"Don't call me by that name!" Dist said angrily as he regained his bearings.

"Sorry," Anise said, though her tone was barely apologetic. "It's just that if the Col—Jade is hiding something, it's never good news, isn't it? Still, he usually has good reasons for keeping whatever it is to himself, and he'll reveal whatever it is in due time, right? So there's no need to tell us if it would betray his trust."

"I'm afraid your trust is misplaced," he said, folding his arms as he refused to meet Anise's eye. "I suppose that idiot Franz is right. I can't possibly keep a promise I've already broken."

Franz? Who on earth...? Anise's gaze then fell on Emperor Peony, who was looking at Dist strangely.

"He denied it, but I know what I... saw." Dist said, his lower lip quivering as he faltered.

"Saphir," Emperor Peony said in what Anise thought to be a reassuring tone, though she could sense a hint of impatience underlying it, "what did you see?"

Dist let out a loud sniffle. "Jade," he hung his head and gripped the hem of his coat tightly, "is dying. And... and..." he covered his face with his hand as tears started to roll down his cheeks, "t-there's nothing we can do about it!"


	9. Chapter 8

Once again, Jade found himself lounging in a makeshift rest area, in avoidance of another tiresome discussion. He smiled ruefully as he rested his arm across his forehead, shielding his gaze from the dim fonlit lamp hanging from the cavern ceiling as he lay on the thin mattress. It has been, what? A decade since he last felt like this. Shivering from the cold he was normally able to withstand, limbs feeling like lead, body numb due to some unknown virus or the like. Despite his penchant for overworking himself, he rarely fell ill, if at all. He did know his limits, and knew how to backpedal for a bit if he sensed himself approaching that point of no return.

He was about to drift off to sleep when the makeshift door creaked open. Cracking an eye open, he saw Guy shuffle towards him and take a seat on the bed next to him. He mentally braced himself for the nagging that was sure to come, considering he had no confidence in Saphir's ability to keep his mouth shut.

"Jade, are you sick?"

And so, it starts. "Saphir is exaggerating."

"Dr. Gneiss? What does he... Oh." Jade could sense a knowing look coming from him as a realization dawned on him. "So that's why he was throwing all those looks at you. No, I exited the room shortly after you did, so, no, he did not say anything. Though I guess you're going to say that it's only a matter of time, huh?"

"Indeed. Besides, I've told you before that I've been frail as a child. That shouldn't surprise you, shouldn't it?"

"Right. And if I had one gald for each time you said stuff like that with a straight face, I'd be richer than His Majesty." Guy tossed a blanket over Jade, who mentally thanked him for the action. "Seriously, Jade. I know what I felt back when I tried to heal you in the airship. There was something... _different_ about your fonons. Like they were tainted or something."

Jade lowered his arm slightly to give Guy an appraising glance. "Oh?"

"I thought you'd eventually come clean about it on your own, so I didn't say anything." Guy smiled ruefully as he folded his hands. "But tell me, am I too optimistic to hope for that?"

"Would it have made a difference if I told you?"

"Hell it would!" Guy's brows creased into an unamused glare. "We could've seen a doctor or gotten some med—"

"—both of which are things we don't have the time for," Jade said tonelessly. "Do name a doctor on Kimlascan soil that would see a supposed dead man, if not someone on the run from the Kimlascan army."

"I won't pry about the specifics, but could you at least see a doctor once this is all over?"

"...Perhaps."

"Good." Guy's stern expression softened into a smile. " And... Jade. Don't push yourself too hard. You have friends you could rely on, you know? If not me, then His Majesty, Anise, Natalia, or heck, even Dist, err... Dr. Gneiss. So whatever comes next after Ortion Cavern... we're here, OK?"

Jade chuckled. "Given my track record, shouldn't you be trusting me less and chatisizing me more?"

"Maybe, but I'd like to believe in the Jade that pulled us through many difficult situations before. As for the latter, I'll be leaving the chewing out and screaming to His Majesty."

An odd sense of deja vu washed over him as Guy rose from the bed, giving him the briefest of smiles before leaving the room. No sooner than Guy left did the door swing open for Peony to thunder in.

Peony wasted no time in throwing a punch at Jade's face as he sat up to greet him, nearly knocking him flat back on the bed.

"Jade! What the hell?"

"I'd like to ask you the same question myself." His jaw ached slightly with each word he spoke, though nothing seemed to be broken when he raised a hand to his cheek.

"You better be playing a really cruel joke on Saphir, or—"

"If I was not," Jade's steely gaze met Peony's equally cool one, "then what are you going to do?"

"What am I—" Peony unfurled his balled fist, though his gaze still blazed with fury as he looked down on Jade. "But Jade, it can't be true... Miasma toxicosis... I thought Luke..."

"...Got rid of the miasma?" Jade raised a brow at him, the pain along his jaw slowly becoming a distant memory. "Yes, he did."

"Then it's a joke. I'd like to know what you told Saphir such that you had him in tears when he told us what has been eating at him since we arrived here."

Jade lay back on the bed, sheets creasing as he rolled over to his side. "It's not."

"What...?" Jade could imagine Peony's face draining of color as the other finally took him seriously. "But when?"

Jade's glasses caught the glare coming from the small lamp in the room as he stared blankly at the cavern wall. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Disbelief echoed in Peony's tone. "Then... how? I thought you guys weren't affected by the worst of the miasma back then!"

"The fonslot seal." Jade pulled himself into a sitting position, resting his hands lightly over the thin blanket covering his lap. "Typically, miasma-tainted fonons would be able to exit one's body through the fonslots they came through, but this minor inconvenience made it troublesome for them to exit back in the day, I suppose." As if to emphasize his statement, a hacking cough overtook him. As he made a futile attempt to downplay the worst of it, he felt a hand gently stroke his back in an attempt to ease his cough—the same hand that struck him a few moments ago.

Peony spoke as his cough subsided, laying a hand gently over his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was irrelevant." Jade shrugged off Peony's hand. "And I was uncertain about it until recently."

"Irrelevant?" Jade felt Peony stiffen next to him. "Uncertain? Even so, you should've said something! You shouldn't have pushed yourself too hard! We should've stayed in the settlement so you could reco—"

"And what?" A dry laugh escaped Jade as he closed his eyes. "Wait for someone to save what's left of Malkuth while we played house?"

"At what cost?" Peony said quietly as he took a seat on Jade's bed. "Losing you in a battle that may be a farce?"

"You grossly underestimate me, Your Majesty."

"Right," Peony said, letting out a half-hearted chuckle. "How am I supposed to believe that, especially when you look like you could drop dead any moment?"

Jade averted his gaze. "...I just need to rest for a while."

"Then what? Are we just going to waltz into Baticul with Natalia in tow as some sort of giant 'fuck you'?"

"That is, in fact, the plan."

Peony lapsed into silence at his words, clearly astonished by his acknowledgement. "...What?"

"We will be taking an underground passage into the city. However, there is a high possibility that its entrance to the city might be guarded, and as such, we will be needing a distraction, preferably in a form that will not endanger much of your allies. With that said, I will be responsible for the said distraction, while a small party makes their way to the castle—"

"You idiot!" Peony spat out, grabbing him by his collar. "Are you forgetting that you're not on this alone? You're sick! Heck, you're not supposed to be doing any kind of fighting!"

"You are forgetting that the plan I proposed is the most practical." Jade made no movement to resist the other, settling for giving Peony a cold stare. "Lose at most one man for the liberation of Malkuth. Minimal losses—"

"Damn it, Jade!" Peony roughly shoved him back on the bed, causing it to creak loudly. "You're not just 'any' man! Again, have you given any thought to how we would feel if you died?"

"You speak as if favoritism is a luxury you could afford."

"You're my friend! I can't just let you—"

"How amusing," Jade said, eyes boring into Peony's. "Weren't you quick to sentence Luke to his death back in the day?"

"I—" Peony froze momentarily, hurt evident on his face. "There was no choice back then! As for this situation now, there are clearly other—" Pausing once more and taking note of Jade's no-nonsense glare, he let out a defeated sigh. "...Very well. Then promise me."

"Promise you?"

"That you'll come back alive."

"I cannot promise that."

"Hmph. Then I order you to."

Jade's lips curled into an amused smile at Peony's childish remark. "I can assure you that I do not harbor a hidden desire to die as much as you like to imply." Even though there was no known cure for his disease.

"Good." A feeble smile crossed Peony's lips, clearly barely believing him.

Silence hung between the two of them as Jade lay down once more, closing his eyes as he feigned sleep in hopes of driving the other away with his inattention. Of course, it was too good to last for an eternity—or to expect that the other would take the hint and leave—as Peony eventually broke it not a moment too soon. "Oh, I almost forgot—Anise left a glass of water for you at around the same time I came in. She says she'll be back with some fried rice once we're done talking."

Jade cracked an eye open. "I suppose it would be rude of me to reject her kind hospitality."

"Since when were you ever not rude?"

"Heh." Dragging himself out of bed, he staggered towards the table and took the indicated glass. A small grin escaped him as he sighted the note beneath the glass, which bore the message "Don't push yourself, Colonel!" and a small doodle of a smiling Anise with Tokunaga.

Taking a generous sip of the refreshing liquid and setting the glass back on the table, he took a step forward towards the door—

—And felt nothing but air when he did so.

He reflexively clutched the table top as he felt his knee give way, limbs unresponsive to his mind's call for movement. It was careless of him, he thought as his vision started to swim. Someone spiked the glass with a paralysis tonic, and on top of it, a sleep potion, but who—

"Sorry." Peony said, footsteps growing louder as Jade felt his fingers growing numb, arm dropping uselessly to his side as he completely sank to the ground. "We'll take care of things from here."

His head felt heavy as he attempted to raise his gaze to Peony, who knelt in front of him. Normally, a person would have felt confused or betrayed at such an act, but no such feeling came to Jade—just the bitter taste of regret at his carelessness. Inwardly, he cursed himself for his carelessness brought about that blasted entity known as trust.

"...Why?" Jade asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he struggled to maintain eye contact with Peony, head pounding at the effort.

"You don't have to worry anymore." A strong arm wrapped itself around his shoulders, pulling him close to Peony. As his head rested helplessly against the crook of Peony's neck, he found himself consumed by the illogical desire to lose himself in the other's embrace. An unfamiliar, yet strangely comfortable warmth enveloped him, strong and inviting against his mind's call for consciousness. It was a battle that his logical side was slowly losing, powerless against the liquid that coursed through his body as he found his mind sinking into the tempting darkness. "You... focus... better... cure..."

Peony's voice sounded distant as his warmth continued to overwhelm Jade, the only certain feeling that his body felt as the drink went through its course. It was the last thing he felt before he finally gave in to the darkness, unsure if he could trust the others to accomplish what they have set out to do.

* * *

Peony swallowed the lump in his throat as Jade fell limp against his chest, heart slowly but surely beating against his. Internally, he reasoned that the whole thing was necessary. No matter how much the other reasoned, letting Jade hold off the Kimlascan army at Baticul was the equivalent of sending him to his death, considering the stage in which his disease has progressed, if Saphir's words were anything to go by. Perhaps another day, it may have been not the equivalent of a death sentence. However, the man once known as the Necromancer has definitely seen better days—pale, cold to the touch, coughing like an aged man on his deathbed—one did not need to be a rocket scientist to tell that.

Still, if there was one thing Peony was certain about, he was not about to let Jade join the sea of corpses that dotted the afterlife. And when he was certain about something, he would do anything within his means to defend that certainty, even if he would be hated by some for his decision.

After all, it was nigh impossible to please everyone, and he was more than willing to bear the burden of resentment that came with any decision he made.

"Thank you for everything, Jade." He lifted his eyes heavenward as he hugged Jade's unconscious form once more, trying to will his guilt away with the words he could not say earlier. "My dearest best friend."


	10. Chapter 9

Natalia was tired.

Tired of thinking up ways to satiate her boredom, cooking notwithstanding. Tired of being cooped up in a cave, with an irate Anise for company. Tired of being treated like a fragile princess incapable of holding her own in battle. Tired of being figuratively locked up in a room located at the highest floor of a tower.

"No, no, no, no, no! The handle turns that way, not like that!"

"I-I'm sorry! I'll be sure to remember that!"

And most of all, tired of listening to a certain white-haired mad scientist scream impatiently at a hapless Guy, who was trying his best to learn how to operate and maintain a hover drive in twelve hours.

In all honesty, he was not the only one who did not approve of Emperor Peony's scheme to get Jade to "go along" with their plans. It was rather heavy-handed of him to resort to such tactics, and Natalia could understand why Dist—nay, Dr. Gneiss—was rather upset. She was not—heaven forbid—in love with Jade as he was, but she knew she would be upset if something to that effect happened to Asch back in the day, even if she knew it was "for the best".

"This is simply unacceptable! And I'm supposed to entrust my greatest creation to date to you?"

"S-sorry…"

He did not have to take it out on Guy, though, who was doing his best, considering that the craft's controls was different from Noelle's Albiore, which was certainly much more used to observing back in their journey. Besides, it was a headache that Dr. Gneiss brought upon himself, considering he wanted to stay behind and tend to Jade instead of flying them to Baticul. Unnecessary as it was, who were they to stand against their sole airship pilot's terms and conditions? Especially when he was—grudgingly—willing to teach Guy, who was admittedly excited about the prospect despite the circumstances surrounding it.

Though Guy, perhaps, was regretting that decision, four hours later and still grounded at the mouth of the cavern. She folded her arms and tore her gaze away from the aircraft, choosing to study a lizard as it crawled up the cavern wall. It would be unbecoming for a princess if she were to join in the shouting, after all.

Then again, was she still a princess? Her lips tugged downward as she retreated into her thoughts, feeling a small pang in her chest as she did so. Declared dead once more and having a war break out because of it, she wanted to rush back to Baticul and tell her father that this was just another plot to incite war between Kimlasca and Malkuth back when she caught wind of the news in Kaitzur. However, as she voiced these concerns, the next thing she knew was that she was in some damp, enclosed space, bordering the realm of consciousness and unconsciousness. Food was scooped into her mouth, she recalled vaguely, but being kept under sedation for Yulia knew how long—Anise said it was just two days, but it felt like forever—messed with her memories of that time.

Natalia let out a deep sigh, watching the lizard skilfully avoid a trail of water dripping along the wall. Still, ever since her rescue, that question lingered at the back of her mind. It was like the time she first discovered that she was "Meryl", and when that bastard Mohs used her existence as a means to an end. Was her life merely a tool for someone else's machinations—first, the Score, now, this?

"Yo, Princess. A gald for your thoughts?"

A different voice rang through the air, quite a pleasant breather from the nonsense she was subjected to earlier. Looking up, Natalia found Emperor Peony grinning at her. Returning his smile, she replied, "I'm afraid my thoughts are somewhat worthless at the moment."

"Then perhaps you need a place to clear them, so to speak. I know just the right place for it," Peony said, doing a mock bow and extending a hand to her, as if to ask her out for a dance. "Care to join me, then?"

Suppressing a giggle at the gesture, Natalia accepted his hand. "It would be an honor to do so."

Chuckling, he grasped her hand firmly and led her deeper inside the cavern and into one of the area's twisting corridors, slowly muting Dr. Gneiss's shouting and Guy's hurried apologies. She followed Emperor Peony's lead until they reached an opening where two Oracle Knights were stationed. Waving at them, he then spoke in a hushed tone, too low for Natalia to catch what he was saying, though her eye caught a piece of paper being slipped to one of the soldiers. After he was done speaking, the soldiers gave him a salute and left their positions, leaving the two of them alone.

Natalia frowned, letting go of Emperor Peony's hand. "Is this OK? I've never been to this area before, and I'm not usually allowed to go out whenever there aren't any soldiers to keep watch…"

"Don't worry, you've been given the clear by Anise." Peony smiled at her reassuringly. "Boy, she's even stricter than some of my advisers back in the day. Anyway, let's go!"

"If you say so," she said, smiling as she followed him out of the cavern.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat as sighted what lay beyond the exit. Blinking several times to make sure it was not a dream—it was not—she hurriedly climbed over the rocks to get a better view of the scenery before her.

The ocean was a glittering expanse, its salty smell wafting through her nostrils. The sun's warmth was beating down her back, though a cool breeze tickled the nape of her neck as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, unable to keep her lips from tugging upwards into the widest smile she has had in a while.

"Beautiful, huh?"

She nodded wistfully. The ocean's breadth seemed to be endless from where she stood; its pristine waters reflecting the orange sunlight. Though it was sunset that was approaching rather than sunrise, the scene reminded her all too well of a time she stood with a certain someone who muttered a promise to her—one that would stay with her forever, even when the said person was gone.

_...Some day, when we're grown up, let's change this country._

"Change what?" Peony's question snapped her out of her reverie, blushing in response as she realized that she must have said those words out loud.

"Just… words of comfort," she said, looking out to the expanse before her. "A promise I made with someone."

"I see." He nodded understandingly. "I hope that person's well."

"He's," she paused as she felt a familiar heaviness take root in her chest, taking a deep breath before continuing, "dead."

"I'm sorry."

"No," she hastened to reassure him, flashing him a bright smile. "It's fine. I've come to terms with it a long time ago." She took another breath. "And even if people—like Asch—are no longer here, they live within our hearts and memories, right?"

"Indeed." Emperor Peony turned to look at her, though his expression gave way to that of concern. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Natalia gave him a puzzled look, wondering why he was looking at her with such worry etched on his face. "I'm fine."

Emperor Peony responded by extending a hand and brushing the pad of his thumb across the side of her cheek. "Your tears say otherwise."

"…Oh." She absently touched her cheek and feeling a familiar wetness, wiped the rest away with the sleeve of her shirt. Strange—normally, a person would feel such a thing happening, but to her, the tears felt relatively out of the blue.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He smiled gently at her. "I may not look like it, but I'm a good listener."

She averted his gaze from him, eyes downcast. "I don't know…" She supposed it was too good to be true when she surprised herself by sounding so calm earlier, and while she appreciated the gesture, she was not entirely sure if she was ready to bare her heart just yet.

"Then allow me to talk to myself, I guess." She felt Emperor Peony shift next to her. "Promises are tricky things. Having been on the giving and receiving end of them countless times, I've learned that there's this one sort I should guard myself against—the so-called 'empty promise'. It's not worth stressing over them, to be honest. While often beautiful-sounding, these words often—"

"It's not like that!" Natalia blurted out, glancing at him sharply before returning to studying the ground. "He… wouldn't say such things so callously."

"Oh?"

"Would you like to hear the promise he made?" she asked, surprising even herself at her daring to share something so intimate to a man she was cordial to at best.

He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind."

"Very well." It was too late for regrets, in any case. "I suppose I could." She took a deep breath to compose herself. "Someday, when we're grown up, let's change this country," she said, smiling fondly at the recollection. "Change it so that no one has to be poor. Change it so that war never happens. Let's work to change our country. For the rest—is something the matter?"

As she said those words, she could not help but notice a hint of a frown on Emperor Peony's face, which piqued her curiosity when she stole a glance at him, at the same time, annoyed her.

He simply hummed in response, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he looked out at the brilliantly orange waters.

Natalia placed her hands on her hips and pouted at him. "I told you what was bothering me! The least you could do is reciprocate."

A sheepish grin crossed his face as he turned to look at her again. "Eh, it's just that… isn't that promise over-idealistic? While it is admittedly noble and beautiful, there's only so much two people could do. Even if they're rulers of a nation. Peace, for instance, takes two to tango. If the other countries don't wish for it, there really isn't much you could do, you know?"

"I know that."

Peony raised a brow at her. "Really?"

"Of course I do." Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Natalia folded her arms as she looked out into the horizon once more. "I've realized a long time ago that there was no point in holding him to a promise that was no longer valid. Though of course, I don't think there's anything wrong with looking back and drawing strength from it."

Peony chuckled. "Of course, of course."

Silence fell over them as Natalia shifted on her feet, gingerly taking a seat on a nearby rock.

"But y'know, Princess, I believe you could change your country. Even without… _him_ , you know? "

"Thank you," she said, smiling without looking at him as she rested her arms over her lap. "But before anything else, we have to get to Baticul. You said that Jade had some sort of plan for that, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but…" A deep breath. "Jade's wrong."

Natalia threw him a puzzled glance. "Huh?" Jade—wrong? It was certainly a strange thing to say, especially in the realm of planning.

Emperor Peony did not seem to take note of her bewilderment as he continued staring out into the ocean. "We're taking the front door."

She blinked in confusion at his statement. "Excuse me?"

"That idiot said something about sneaking into the city using some abandoned factory."

"I don't see what's so unreasonable about it."

"Well, besides volunteering himself as some Yulia-forsaken decoy to distract the patrols, he forgot one important fact." His gaze fell on hers, his gaze a piercing blue. "You _are_ Kimlasca's beloved Princess Natalia."

"But what if they think I'm an imposter?"

Emperor Peony merely laughed. "That's ridiculous. Your citizens _will_ allow you entrance."

"Isn't that a bit too optimistic?" Natalia asked, her gaze turning doubtful. Just what was Emperor Peony getting at?

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Princess. It was by your supposed death that this all started, and it is by your living presence that it should rightfully end." Upon seeing Natalia's look of horror, Emperor Peony chuckled nervously and began to scratch the back of his head nervously. "That… sounded a bit wrong, didn't it? Regardless, no, what I meant was that you should put a little more trust in your people to be able to tell that you're the real deal. Maybe they faltered a bit when they fell for the lie that you were dead, but when they see you, I just get the feeling that they'll change their tune, you know?"

"You seem… so confident about this."

"Of course. If there's one thing I learned as a ruler, it's that your people's trust is nothing to be trifled with, and you'd be nuts to underestimate or undermine that. Really, it's not about rhyme or logic. You are precious to your people, as much as they are precious to you. Have a little faith in them. Take it from someone who was once an emperor."

"I see," Natalia said, nodding slowly as she took in his words. "But Emperor Peony, that's where you're wrong."

"Hmm?"

"Your people are still out there, right? Fighting to live, one way or another. I do not know the condition of the lands as I have been in here for quite a while, but I believe that part of what keeps them going is the hope—however slim it might be to them—that you are still living and breathing somewhere out there. Or that in one form or another, the empire you worked so hard to build will rise once more." She smiled. "Besides, someone once told me that what makes a princess is diligence, not some silly reason like blood or being born. Or in your case, the lack of a throne to sit on."

"I… suppose so," Peony said, smiling sheepishly. "Your friend spoke wise words."

"It was Jade who told me all that," she said cheerfully, resisting the urge to giggle at Emperor Peony's stupefied expression. "Speaking of which, why did you knock him out, if no fighting's going to be involved?"

"That nut has a penchant of overworking himself," Peony said, managing to recover quickly from his initial surprise. "The trip's unnecessary stress for him, and he's done more than enough for us. He's been also out of it for quite a while, as I'm sure he would've thought of all that I've said before if he were in the right mindset." He frowned as he cupped a hand to his chin. "But for some reason, he was too obsessed with the idea of throwing himself into a possible suicide mission, which leads me to think that something's up. Something he's not telling anyone about. I'm hoping that some proper rest would knock some sense into him, but in any case, he'll have to answer some questions of mine once this is all over."

"Is that so?" She gazed at him in wonder, amazed at how well he read into Jade's words and actions. Truly, the two of them were the best of friends, and she could not help but feel jealous at that level of understanding they had.

"Yep," Peony said. "But say, now that you mentioned it, while I'm no Asch, I could help you with that promise. At least, the no war thing." He beamed at her. "Once I get my empire back, let's build a world where no more war takes place. Let's watch out for each other's backs. What do you say?"

"It would be my pleasure," Natalia said, smiling briefly before eyeing Emperor Peony's outstretched finger in puzzlement. "What's that for?"

"Pinky swear," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "In absence of a proper treaty signing, I've found that this works as an effective substitute."

"If you say so," she said, chuckling as she stood up and linked a finger with him. Funny that he should mention it, considering that the said promise she made with it did not come to fruition. Still, it was worth a try, wasn't it? "It's been a while since I made one of these, though, so pardon me if I mess up my words somewhat."

"Of course."

She took a deep breath. "For the prosperity of Mother Auldrant, I," she paused, swallowing the sudden lump that formed in her throat before continuing, "Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, promise—"

A choked sob escaped from her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks once more as she found herself unable to stop them from flowing.

"Princess?" She could hear the tone of alarm in Emperor Peony's voice. "Are you—"

"I'm fine." She let out an unladylike sniffle, smiling the best that she could as she tried to stopper the dam that was threatening to break inside her chest. _Why now, of all times?_ She did not cry during the funeral for Luke and Asch. She did not cry when she talked to Guy about Asch. She did not cry when she found out about the circumstances resulting into this new and pointless war. So… _why_?

"Princess, we don't have to—"

"Let's… just finish this promise, OK?" Feeling his grip on her finger go lax, she held by wrapping her finger tightly around his.

"'Kay, then." He relented, though she could still see him wearing a perturbed look through her mist of tears.

She wiped her eyes with her free hand, and continued, "I promise never to wage war against the Malkuth," She sniffled. "Empire and swear on my kingdom's name," And another one, "to look out not only for the citizens of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, but for everyone else in this planet as well."

"I, Peony Upala Malkuth IX, promise likewise, towards the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear."

And so, under the sunset-tinged sky, a promise was renewed, and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear found herself sobbing into the shirt of a certain Peony Upala Malkuth IX, tears of frustration, sorrow, and gladness flowing freely as she finally released the torrent of emotions she kept in since the events at Eldrant.


	11. Chapter 10

Tear Grants was on a mission.

A personal mission—to find her purpose in life, now that she was free from her self-assigned task of putting an end to her brother's ambitions to destroy the world.

In between delivering messages from Yulia City to Daath and traveling in general, there was not much spare time for anything in Tear's life besides introspection in her lonesome. It was perhaps that habit which led to her difficulty in moving on, for being alone left her to turn to her own thoughts for company.

Sure, she got to visit her friends at times—Anise most especially. However, those were but temporary respites from the lingering void left by Luke's disappearance and her brother's death, which continued to claw at her heart.

She promised herself back then that she would stand tall and hold her chin up. Live on for their sakes and those who have passed on, holding onto the promise her beloved Luke made to her.

And live on, she did. As the ever-gently smiling descendant of Yulia, always ready to help those in need—singing when need be, giving words of reassurance that sounded hollow to her ears. After all, when she was alone, her facade broke and left her wide awake during the night with thoughts of what may have been.

_What if I noticed my brother's feelings earlier? Could I have changed his mind?_

_What if I insisted on staying behind with Luke? Could he be here, standing beside me?_

She knew it was pointless to dwell on it, but the dull ache in her chest whenever she remembered any of them was telling of her inability to let go.

The said emptiness still lingered when the war between Kimlasca and Malkuth broke out. It was out of a sense of duty to her friends rather than an urge to save the world that she decided to see matters for herself and check if there was something she could do for them.

It was in the outskirts of the fallen fortress capital that she found Jade half-carrying, half-dragging a gravely injured Emperor Peony with him. Amidst the howls of victory resounding throughout the battlegrounds, she quickly set to work when she came upon them—not before having to dodge an Energy Blast thrown her way and revealing herself with her arms raised—and stopped the latter's bleeding with her healing artes.

As Jade nodded his thanks and she joined their search for sanctuary, it was then that she remembered.

_The Closed Score._

Someone has been fulfilling the Closed Score. Her stomach churned at the thought then. Who? And to what purpose? Those who knew of the contents had no reason to do it, and those who had a reason to were dead, unless...

_Unless..._

It was with these thoughts that she accompanied them to Tataroo Valley, where a small amount of survivors began to gather to form a settlement. It was with that in mind that she assisted Jade in applying a fonic arte to his throat to protect his identity. It was with that in mind that she stayed on to heal the injured and tended to Emperor Peony's wound, until the discomfort of theorizing and dwelling on what-ifs got to her. It was with those unsettling thoughts that she bid her leave and set off for Baticul, where she gained insight into the event that unfolded earlier.

And it was with the promise of finding her way out of her months-long nightmare that she found herself facing a ragtag band of all-too familiar faces in the throne room of the said capital, her expression neutral as she took in the surprise and confusion—and a hint of betrayal—on their faces.

"Tear?" Natalia was the first to speak, confusion still etched on her face as she took in her appearance by the foot of King Ingobert's throne. "Is that you?"

"It is," she replied flatly, her steely blue gaze fixing itself upon Natalia's bright, surprised ones as two soldiers, if a bit hesitant, blocked off Natalia and her companions.

Hurt was visible on Natalia's expression as Tear delivered her cold response. After throwing a wary glance at the spears blocking her path, she turned her attention to the figure seated on the throne, she said, "Father, what is the meaning of this?"

"Natalia, I'm—" There was an equally pained expression on King Ingobert's face as he met Natalia's eye. "I did it all—"

Unable to finish his sentence, he choked back what seemed to be like a sob, dejectedly slouching in his seat as he hung his head. Natalia stared forlornly at King Ingobert, looking as if she was unsure of what to say next.

"G-guards, please, step aside," he said, after finding his voice back. "It's my daughter; I want to see her..."

The soldiers withdrew their spears and retreated to the foot of the throne, showing Natalia in plain view.

"Natalia…" His gaze was fixed on the figure before him, and Tear could see him study Natalia initially with wonder, then happiness, which briefly turned into that of fear as she saw him struggle with what was certainly a torrent of emotions.

"Father, are you alright?" Natalia asked, her brows knitting in worry as she eyed her father.

"I'm fine." He breathed out, weariness overtaking him. "Natalia, please, take your rightful seat beside me."

Natalia took a step forward, only to hesitate as she glanced at her companions.

"No," she said with a twinge of regret.

"Natalia, please…" King Ingobert's tone was hoarse, as if he was fighting back some sort of pain on his own. "Won't you kindly indulge the request of a father who misses you so much?"

"I can't," Natalia said, shaking her head. "Father, I wish for answers." Her eyes were bright with what seemed to be tears, though none of the expected sobs came as Tear saw her take a deep breath. "Who gave the order to kidnap me? And please don't say it's Malkuth, for I know that I have been taken captive by my fellow Kimlascans, and that it's only through Daath's goodwill that I'm able to stand before you right now."

King Ingobert's eyes turned troubled as he continued to engage Natalia's surprisingly steady gaze, unable to tell the answer he clearly knew. Thankfully, he was spared from having to answer when a figure from the back spoke up.

"I did."

A stunned silence hung over the four by the entrance as they noticed a familiar redheaded figure by the right side of the throne, his shockingly green eyes boring into them as his aged features remained impassive.

_Duke Fabre._

"You're kidding, right?" Guy said in a disbelieving tone, shaking slightly as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"I'm afraid not, Gailardia," Duke Fabre said solemnly as he spared a glance for Guy. "It is as true as the fact that I was directly responsible for the deaths of your family members back in Hod."

At those words, Guy's face turned red with fury. "You monster!" He lunged at Duke Fabre, only to freeze and tense visibly as Anise clung to his waist.

"No, Guy, it's not worth it…"

Guy reluctantly let go of his sword hilt, relaxing as Anise released her grip on him.

"The Oracle Knight is right," Duke Fabre said. "All things considered, the damage has already been done."

"I've… already put Hod behind us, but this…" Guy's tone was surprisingly steady given his earlier outburst, though Tear sensed a hint of warning beneath it, causing her to reaffirm her grip on her staff just in case.

Duke Fabre sighed tiredly. "I do not seek your forgiveness, Gailardia Galan, though I am fully aware of the magnitude of the sin I have committed."

"Then, Uncle… Why did you do it?" Natalia asked, clearly still unable to process the truth. Tear could not fault her for that, for it was her exact reaction back when she confronted the same person a few months back.

_No matter, they shall understand soon._

Duke Fabre closed his eyes. "Because there are some things worth more than the world."

"And what might that be?" A strangely familiar tanned blond by the back spoke up in a somewhat bored tone.

"Luke."

And yet again, there was a strange stillness that pervaded the room. Tear's gaze flickered towards Natalia, whose face was white with shock, then Guy, who looked like he was ready to punch something, then Anise, whose eyes were wide with surprise, and then the blond stranger, whose surprising calm reminded her eerily of the Colonel.

Then, blue met blue, and she knew. Though that did not explain why the Colonel didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, and if anything, raised the question of where he might be.

She was about to open her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by Duke Fabre, who took his time scanning the faces before him. "Almost everyone believes him to be dead. But I know better. He will return, and as his father, it is up to me to pave that path."

"But Uncle, you were the one who built that grave! You wanted to put your feelings to rest! So w—"

"Princess Natalia, have you tried passing by his grave everyday? His bedroom, long unoccupied? Have you tried listening to your aunt, waiting for his return ever so patiently? It's impossible. Impossible to put these feelings to rest." He pressed a finger to his temple and rubbed it vigorously. "So once a way to get him back was presented, I took it."

For a moment, a still silence hung over them.

"…The Score." Anise said softly. "Yeah, that bastard Mohs would have done that."

"Anise, what are you talking about?" Natalia asked, confused.

"It's forbidden to keep a written copy of the Closed Score anywhere. But I am guessing that Mohs decided to make his own rules and wrote it down anyway, and gave a copy to some Kimlascan noble in order to motivate them to start a war with Malkuth. Before he kicked the bucket, of course."

"How is following the Closed Score supposed to bring back Luke? It does not—" Guy paused, his face draining of color as a certain realization dawned on him. "No… But that was not—"

"How amusing," Duke Fabre said. "Miss Grants's reaction was exactly like that when she learned the truth."

Tear felt four pairs of eyes on her, and though a small twinge of guilt tugged at her, she cast it away with a soldier's practiced indifference, her expression impassive as she met their gazes head on.

"'...The light of the sacred flame shall approach a Kimlascan city of fon machines, seeking a way to purify the taint.' She said something about it being the late Fon Master's Score reading for Luke, and that it was not part of the Closed Score, long since fulfilled. However, that is but one interpretation of the said statement. And it could be very well part of the Score."

"But the Score isn't absolute!" Anise said pointedly.

"Is it, Oracle Knight?" Duke Fabre glanced dubiously at Anise. "Are you completely sure about that?"

"My name is Anise!" Anise replied, glaring at Duke Fabre. "And yes, I'm pretty sure of it. Didn't we just prove that? Didn't _Luke_ just prove that?"

"I acknowledge that it has some slight deviations here and there, but all paths lead to the same fated end."

"What do you mean?"

"Luke destroyed Akzeriuth, and destroyed a part of himself in effect." Closing his eyes, he continued, "I'm sure you have noticed the change in his personality since then, as even I could tell when he came back to the manor after your little adventure in the Absorption Gate. Then, the Rugnican Plains was enveloped in war, and Malkuth 'lost' territory shortly thereafter when St. Binah fell into the Qliphoth." Opening his eyes, he gazed at each of his audience in turn. "The Score holds true—what other proof do you need? At this point, it's only logical that I, his father, would pave the way for his return, as I'm sure he would have wanted."

"You don't know the first thing about Luke!" In a blink of an eye, Guy closed the distance between him and Duke Fabre, swinging his sword at the latter's side.

"Guy, no!" Natalia and Anise's cries remained ignored by the subject of their concern, who pushed on with his charge.

Duke Fabre parried Guy's attack by quickly drawing his sword. "Are you sure you should be doing this, Gailardia? I don't want to hurt you, but if this is the way you are going to—"

"I owe you nothing!" Taking a few backsteps, Guy gripped his sword tightly as he charged in. "Tiger Blade!"

"Gailardia Galan Gardios!" Duke Fabre met each of Guy's swings with his blade. "Is this how you treat me after I take the steps to return your beloved friend? Such a shame if this how you treat the fathers of all your friends."

"You're no father of his!" Guy said, glaring at him as he pressed on with his blade. "How dare you call yourself that, when you haven't been around raise him like a proper father should?!"

"This is your last warning, Gailardia." Duke Fabre said, eyes narrowing. "Step down now and you shall remain unharmed."

"Hell if I care!" He leapt back, launching a Demon Fang at Duke Fabre before charging in again with a Sword Rain: Alpha arte.

Duke Fabre merely let out a tired sigh. "As you wish." Deftly blocking the flurry of strikes, he responded with a swing of his own, accompanied by a blast of air which sent Guy flying across the room, prompting Anise to enlarge Tokunaga in order to cushion his fall.

On reflex, Tear took a step forward, readying a healing spell.

"Guy!" At the same time, Natalia hurried to his side, casting a healing spell as she knelt next to him. Tear retreated, silently berating herself for her irrational actions. They were enemies now, no longer united by the sole purpose of saving the world.

"Tear!" Her actions have not gone unnoticed, for Anise threw her a questioning, albeit hurt look. "What are you doing here? I never expected—"

"If this path leads us to Luke's return, then I will see it through," she replied flatly, mentally stamping out the image of Anise's pained expression that imprinted upon her mind.

"But Luke wouldn't have wanted this!" Guy said as he struggled to his feet. "He fought so hard to keep the peace—"

"It's," she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, "better than just standing around and doing nothing."

"He promised he would return, didn't he?" Natalia said, eyes pleading. "Couldn't you hold him on to that promise? Didn't you believe him when he said that?"

"I did!" Tear cried out, the corners of her eyes prickling. "I mean, I do!"

"Then why?" Anise asked, her eyes slowly brimming with tears.

"I…" A small pain in her chest caused her to look away from them, clutching a hand to her heart as she did so. Couldn't they see that this was difficult for her as much as it was difficult for them? It wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was either that or wallowing around in her pit of self-misery.

"Tear, you're not the only one who is waiting for his return," Natalia said softly as she stood up. "You're hurting, but it's a pain you don't have to shoulder on your own. So please," she opened her arms wide, "come back to us."

"Yeah!" Anise said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "We don't need some stupid Score to follow."

"So, you are still insisting that the Score can be overthrown?" Duke Fabre laughed. "Mother Auldrant has already walked down the path to destruction a long time ago, and there's no stopping it! If you want to blame anyone, blame yourselves for not getting rid of the Planet's Memory!"

Anise looked like she wanted to say something about it, but before she could do so, the blond from the back spoke up.

"Ingobert."

Tear stole a glance at the blond, more certain of his identity now that he spoke again.

The blond's piercing blue gaze fell on King Ingobert, devoid of the usual warmth that filled them. "I thought we agreed on this back in that summit. Our reasons for denying the New Order of Lorelei back then."

"Score or not, a ruler exists for his people. The said ruler has no right to deny them the right to fight until the bitter end, and as such, should do their best to support them, especially in times of crisis. There is also power in unity, and in the face of powers unknown, we are only as strong as we are united."

"P-Peony!" King Ingobert shot up from his seat, shaking violently as he pointed a finger at him. "You're—"

"Alive, yes," he replied coolly. "I believe I have Tear to thank for that." His gaze softened slightly when it fell on Tear, only to harden once more as it trained back on King Ingobert. "Never mind the people of Malkuth. You have betrayed your people by choosing to walk this path to destruction—a path I thought we have long decided to abandon." His eyes flashed dangerously as his glare intensified. "I cannot forgive that, and the fact that you have consciously denied your subjects a future."

Tear shuddered internally at the look Emperor Peony was giving King Ingobert, and could have sworn that she felt the room's temperature drop a few degrees. Even with her years of training as a soldier, she felt that she would crumble under such scrutiny and scorn. She could only imagine what King Ingobert was feeling that moment.

"I did it all for Natalia!" King Ingobert said despairingly, a pleading look in his eyes. "He said they'd kill her if I didn't cooperate!"

"But at what cost, Father? I would have willingly died if thousands of lives could have been saved!"

"Natalia…" King Ingobert averted his gaze in guilt, slumping in his throne.

"Touching as this reunion is, what is done is done." Duke Fabre shrugged. "More importantly, what are you going to do now?"

Guy threw Duke Fabre a disgusted look. "How could you be so nonchalant about all the lives you have taken?"

"Gailardia—Count Gardios—is right." Taking a deep breath, King Ingobert rose from his throne once more. "Duke Crimson Herzog fon Fabre, by witness of all those present in this hall, you are under arrest for masterminding Princess Natalia's kidnapping."

At those words, the soldiers by the throne moved next to Duke Fabre and motioned for him to follow them. Duke Fabre merely laughed, but made no attempt to resist as the soldiers ushered him out.

"While that's good and all," Emperor Peony said, folding his arms as he continued to narrow his eyes at King Ingobert, "isn't that a little too late, Ingobert?"

"It is." King Ingobert sighed as he watched the soldiers exit with Duke Fabre. "As such, I am stepping down as the King of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear."

Tear's brows shot up at the proclamation. Catching her reaction, she chastised herself for losing her cool and blinked back the rest of her surprise, hoping no one noticed her reaction.

"Father!" Natalia seemed as surprised as she was as she uncertainly put a hand to her mouth. "Isn't that too rash a decision?"

"No, I have given it much thought the past few months. I am unfit to be king, easily ruled by my emotions, ignorant of the world beyond what my advisers have told me." King Ingobert said, smiling sadly. "Natalia, my dearest daughter, you will make a wonderful and beautiful queen—the queen the kingdom has been clamoring for."

"This is… rather sudden," Natalia bit her lip. "I'm not sure if I could handle it just yet…"

King Ingobert approached Natalia and enveloped her in a hug. "I know it is a big responsibility. I'm deeply sorry for pushing this on you, my dear. But this country needs reform, and I am unworthy of delivering it. But know this, I will support you all the way," To everyone's surprise, King Ingobert knelt on one knee and hung his head in deference, "my beloved queen."

"Father!" Natalia bristled at the action, glancing at King Ingobert with troubled eyes. "Please stand up! There's no need to bow before me, as I am still your daughter no matter what."

Tear caught a movement from the corner of her eye, and saw Emperor Peony shifting towards the exit.

"Emperor Peony!" Anise called out, taking a few steps towards the other. "Where are you going?"

"I'm off to rebuild Malkuth, Anise." Emperor Peony gave her a lopsided smile. "That's the next logical step, now that this nightmare's over."

"Ooh!" Anise broke into a smile. "Daath will help!"

"Kimlasca as well," Natalia said, tearing her eyes off King Ingobert as the other finally stood up at her behest.

"Peony," King Ingobert said as he let go of Natalia, eyes filled with sadness and regret as he met Emperor Peony's gaze, "I am truly sorry for what happened to your country."

"What's done is done," Emperor Peony said, gaze turning cool as he eyed King Ingobert with what seemed to be distaste. "Apologizing will not change anything, and we're better off doing what we can instead of wallowing in the past." He turned his heel to leave. "Gailardia, Anise, let's go."

In a surprise burst of bravado, she left her station by the throne, not bothering to glance at Natalia or King Ingobert as she dashed past them, only to hesitate a few feet away from Emperor Peony's group. "I would like to go as well."

"Tear?" A flicker of curiosity crossed Emperor Peony's face as she spoke.

Better than hate, Tear supposed. Encouraged by his fairly neutral expression, she continued, "It's… what Luke would have—no, what I must do." She took a deep breath. "I want Luke to return to a world that's whole, and I will do what I can instead of relying on a miracle." Something she should have realized a long time ago, but it was better late than never, right?

A warm smile broke across Emperor Peony's face, much to her relief. "Your help would be much welcome, Tear." Turning to the others, he continued, "Let's go, then."

"Take care, everyone," Natalia said. "I will visit as soon as I can."

Tear smiled to herself as she exited the audience hall, walking along with her friends as they left the castle. Perhaps it will not erase the moments wherein she stood idly, but Emperor Peony was right. The future was upon them, and it was up to them to shape it however they can.

 _Watch me, Luke._ Briefly, she raised her eyes to the heavens, blinking back tears with another smile of her own as a familiar redhead's face came to mind. _I'll make you proud._


	12. Epilogue

"Lieutenant General Curtiss, here are the files you asked for."

"Thank you," Jade said without looking up from the paper he was reading. "Kindly place them on top of my table."

"Yes, sir!" Jade heard the soldier shift on his feet, followed by an uncertain pause—probably because there was nowhere to place the said files—then the sound of papers being carefully stacked on top of another set of documents.

The sound of fading footsteps and the closing of a door told him that the soldier had left. Leaning back in his seat, he stretched for a moment before slouching back, raising his eyes to the ceiling of his office as a familiar tiredness swept over him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mentally willing his breathing to steady as he tightly clutched the paper he was reading earlier. Willpower usually did the trick, especially in dulling the otherwise fiery pain that engulfed him every time his lungs took in air. The same pain that forced him to accept this promotion—keeping him away from the field and holed up in this room as a paper pusher.

Following the revolt caused by the return of the supposedly dead Princess Natalia, Malkuth was vindicated by Daath in an international court. Kimlasca was ordered to pay billions worth of war damage to Malkuth, which the soon-to-be-queen Natalia gladly took charge of. Grand Chokmah certainly had seen better days, Engeve would take a while to grow crops, and St. Binah had some way to go before becoming the stronghold it once was, but it was a start, nonetheless. And the most important part was that little by little, people were coming back to the devastated towns, willing to rebuild their lives. The people of Daath and Yulia City, especially Anise and Tear, were vital in encouraging people to come out of hiding, and there was very little resistance in the part of the populace once Anise worked her charms on them and Tear sang her hymns with all her heart. Or so Anise reported in a letter, but in Jade's opinion, the fact that two young and charming ladies managed to smile, despite the ordeals they have seen and undergone, was the simple encouragement that Malkuth's citizens needed.

"Jade!" His eyes flew open and he was greeted by the sight of Saphir, wearing a lab coat over his shirt and pants as was his usual, entering his office. Saphir's brows were creased in concern as he made his way towards him, not without a moment of panic crossing his face as he tripped over some stacked books.

Catching his balance, Saphir stumbled towards his desk, heaving slightly as he clung on to the edge of the table. "Are you OK? Do you need me to call the doctor?"

"There's no need to do so," Jade replied, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "In fact, it would seem that you're in need of one more than I am."

Saphir flushed red at the statement as Jade's gaze fell on his wrist, which was bleeding from a fresh paper cut courtesy of his earlier stumble. "Well, you should take better care of yourself!" he said, covering his wound with his other hand as he glared at Jade indignantly. "I wouldn't have lost my balance if it weren't for the fact that I was worried about you!"

"I didn't ask for your concern," Jade replied tightly.

"As your aide, it is my job to worry about you and help you however I can!"

Jade let out a heavy breath. Day in, day out—if it wasn't Peony being a nag, it was Saphir being the dreadful combination of a stalker and a mother hen. For some reason, the latter was good at picking up the time when he was feeling under the weather more so than his usual. When that happened, he wasted no time in getting to where Jade was—an ability bordering on magical—even if there was work to be done in the realm of replica research, which was now a joint effort among all nations spearheaded by Jade, though Saphir took charge more often than not, given his current physical state.

After the incident at Baticul—or the "Baticul Revolt" as the press had taken to calling it—Jade found himself making good on his promise to see a doctor thanks to Peony's machinations, despite the fact that Jade hadn't quite forgiven the former for the stunt he pulled in Ortion Cavern. In an ironic twist of fate, it was Dr. Shu who delivered his death sentence, the way he did Tear's, then Luke's. The amount of tainted fonons he absorbed was nothing compared to Tear's, however, his miasma contamination had been exacerbated by the fon slot seal and essentially trapped the said fonons within him, slowly damaging his internal organs as well as lodging themselves deep in his fonslots, even when he broke the seal a long time back.

Saphir leaned back against Jade's desk, with Jade eyeing a nearby stack of papers warily as it shifted precariously when Saphir put his weight on a side of his desk. "It's a good thing that old coot decided to come out of retirement, else I'm pretty sure you would have taken his job."

"And that 'old coot' has a name, Goldfish Droppings."

Fortunately for Saphir, Jade was saved from having to make a brisk retort when the devil himself entered the latter's office. On the other end, it caused the former to look upon the newcomer with undisguised horror, cheeks burning bright with embarrassment.

"Field Marshal McGovern! I would like to ask you to refrain from such inappropriate names."

To which the Field Marshal merely laughed at. "I could say the same for you, m'boy."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Field Marshal?" Jade asked, mustering his best smile as he stood up to greet him, though it may have come across as a grimace if the Field Marshal's hearty chuckle was anything to go by. "If I may offer you a seat…?"

"There's no need. Nephry and I were simply wondering if you had any plans of attending the ceremony. She's waiting by the docks as we speak." He smiled fondly at the thought, as if reminiscing a pleasant memory.

This time, a genuine smile broke across Jade's face. The Field Marshal was one of the few survivors of the annihilation. His son had not been so lucky, as with many other Malkuth military officers, who either died in action or were immediately killed upon capture. At the time of the siege, he was vacationing at Keterburg, and upon hearing news of it, immediately sprang into action to defend what he can.

News about Keterburg's resistance had been greatly suppressed. Easily enough, considering that Keterburg was in relative isolation from the rest of the world and that Kimlasca was the only one to control communication in and out of the place. However, what most of Kimlasca did not know was that they were never able to truly subjugate the place, thanks to the joint efforts of McGovern and Viscount Osborne, who were able to repel the invading forces thanks to tried and tested military tactics which took advantage of the latter's terrain knowledge.

He'd never admit it, but he was proud of his sister for surviving the assault on their hometown while fighting all the while. She certainly had come away from the fearful child that she was, and recently, her guardedness around him. After the assault on Malkuth, she seemed to be much more eager to talk with him and spend time with him in general, instead of avoiding him as was her usual. He had a sneaking suspicion that the Field Marshal had something to do with it, though he had no opportunity to confront his superior with the matter, considering everything that needed to be done.

Regardless, he agreed with Saphir. The Field Marshal was a competent and fair individual, and there was no one more fit for the job than he. The title was not merely for show, and Jade could truthfully say that Field Marshal McGovern was one of the few people he looked up to and would trust with such an important job—the job of leading what remained of Malkuth's military force.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any plans of doing so."

"Is that so, is that so…" The Field Marshal's expression gave way to that of alarm upon sighting the crumpled paper in his hand. "But Jade, my boy, is that how you treat official correspondence from royalty nowadays?"

"Oh, I must have forgotten. Must be old age catching up with me." Nonetheless, Jade straightened out the letter on his desk and tried to keep the distaste out of his expression as he averted his gaze from it.

"Jade, you aren't even half my age. You can start saying that once you've hit your fifties. Regardless, are you definitely sure about this?"

"I am very much sure. Please send my regards to Nephry, in any case." Much as he wished to forget the contents of the letter, he already committed it to memory, which made it all the more unpleasant.

_Dearest Lieutenant General Jade Curtiss,_

_You are cordially invited to Luke fon Fabre's coming of age ceremony. This will take place on Loreleiday, Lorelei-Decan 48, ND2020, at the Fabre manor at Baticul._

_Best regards,_

_Duke and Duchess Crimson Herzog fon Fabre_

Despite the overwhelming evidence against him and his admission of guilt, Duke Fabre managed to walk free on the grounds of insanity. Normally, such treason would have been met with execution, but his punishment was nothing more than indefinite house arrest and the seizure of all his assets, part of which was used to pay for war damages. Though if Jade were to hazard an opinion on the matter, Duchess Suzanne fon Fabre's condition was greatly taken into account, and having her remaining family taken away from her would surely send her over the edge. At first sight, the event of her untimely demise should not cause political instability considering how Natalia was guaranteed to outlive her, however, the fact remained that some of the old fashioned nobles in court considered her as the "real" first-in-line to the throne thanks to the revelation of Natalia's true heritage. Not to mention, Natalia had not been showing any interest in picking out a consort, so having the line of succession preserved proved to be important in Kimlasca's political climate.

"Yes, please extend my most sincere regrets at being unable to attend." Jade tried his best to look apologetic, though he was fairly sure he came off as unconvincing to the Field Marshal. "Besides, I already have a prior commitment and it would be in poor taste if I were to back out of it all of a sudden."

Nonetheless, the Field Marshal nodded sympathetically. "Very well, I will pass on the message. Do you have any letter you'd like me to deliver to our hosts?"

"Yes, which Saphir will finish in five minutes."

"W-what?" Saphir's eyes widened in shock as he pointed a finger to himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Jade raised a brow at Saphir. "It's just a simple letter, extending my condolences and expressing my most heartfelt regrets at being unable to attend this esteemed ceremony at the Fabre manor."

Glaring at Jade, Saphir whirled around to face him and banged his fists on his table, unmindful of the papers that slid off the desk. "But I'm not your secretary! Besides, you already know what to write, so why don't you do it yourself?"

"As I recall, assisting me is part of your job description," Jade said pointedly, somewhat enjoying the reaction he was getting out of Saphir. "as you were kind enough to remind me, my _dear_ aide."

"Fine! You win!" Saphir stormed out of Jade's office, muttering something under his breath that sounded like 'underappreciated' and 'overworked' and leaving Jade alone with the Field Marshal.

"Are you sure it's OK to leave him like that?"

"It's fine." Jade shrugged noncommittally. "Besides, he gets it done anyway, despite all his grumbling."

The Field Marshal glanced at him dubiously. "If you say so."

Jade found himself collapsing back in his seat as a wave of exhaustion overcame him. Feeling his chest constrict, he hastily opened his desk drawer and brought out some pills. He popped one in his mouth and with some difficulty, managed to swallow it. A few labored breaths later, he found his heart easing up and with it, his breathing returning to normal.

Alas, that was not the only thing that came with it, for the Field Marshal was eyeing him with great concern.

"Now I see what His Majesty meant. Jade, you should really take a few days off."

"Unfortunately, the world isn't going to solve its problems while I'm out like a light." Jade smiled weakly at him. "As you could probably tell, I… don't have much time left."

"And you'll have even less time left if you continue pushing yourself like this."

"Then tell me, who is going to solve the energy crisis looming in the horizon?" Jade said, trying to keep the agitation out of his tone as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Find out what we can do for the replicas that remain with us? Make sure that nothing like Kimlasca's assault ever happens again?"

"All of us," the Field Marshal replied firmly. "This isn't your burden alone, Jade. You need to trust in your comrades a lot more, as they have trusted in you."

Jade took a calming breath. "Perhaps." But deep down, Jade knew that the Field Marshal was right. There was the latter taking care of military affairs, Guy handling the reformation of the House of Lords, Saphir assisting with fomicry research, and Peony being the glue that kept everyone together. Not to mention, Anise, Tear, and Natalia were more than willing to help when they can.

He could only hope that it was enough for the world.

The Field Marshal was the one who broke the silence that fell over them. "I suppose I should head off Goldfish Droppings before he returns to your office. I'm guessing you're planning to rest a little before your commitment later, and I'm sure you can do without his presence at the moment."

Jade nodded gratefully as the Field Marshal turned towards the door. Pausing before the knob, the other turned slightly to face him. "Though if you don't mind me asking, what _are_ your plans for this evening?"

Jade's gaze flitted for a moment towards the colonel uniform folded on his sofa, smiling in anticipation of a long-awaited reunion among a certain field of selenias.

"Witnessing a miracle."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Trivia  
> ~ The story closely resembled my initial draft, up until Chapter 6. From then on, a lot of the contents have been changed (especially chapter 8). I even had to write the epilogue from scratch in order to reflect the changes involved. Basically, it’s these rewrites that caused the big delays between chapters, besides my lack of inspiration.
> 
> ~ With regard to Peony and his bum of steel, I take no credit for the names of the artes he used. Kongman from Tales of Destiny was a nice reference for martial artes.
> 
> ~ The “Goldfish Droppings” nickname came from Tsuioku no Jade (Recollections of Jade), a spin-off manga detailing the game’s Nebilim sidequest and Jade’s past.
> 
> ~ My personal challenge for this fic was to pick a “villain” from the existing cast members, instead of writing an OC for the sake of this story. Tear actually came up in the list of potential villains, with the line of reasoning going “love makes you do desperate things”. However, the level of scheming present in this story seemed beyond her, so I scratched her off the list. That’s when I decided to stick with Duke Fabre as the villain, in a manner of speaking.
> 
> ~ This fic has fanart of Jade’s dress! I'd like to share some wonderful art done by wonderful people. These are interpretations of my rather vague description of Jade's disguise in this fic, and I feel blessed and touched that such talented artists decided to give his dress design a swing!  
> Design by MyselfSquared: dimensionslip*tumblr*com/post/82793963195/  
> Design by EirlysTylluan: dimensionslip*tumblr*com/post/86100432669/ 
> 
> Afterword
> 
> And it’s done! I can finally say with pride that I’ve actually gone ahead and finished one of my multi-chapter stories. With that, I could say that this writing experiment of mine was a success, even if it took me more than a year to complete. I’ve had an awful tendency of leaving things half-finished back when I was younger, so finishing this fic is something of a big deal to me, ahaha.
> 
> I have already detailed how this fic came about in the linked post in my profile, so I hope you allow me to focus on other topics for the moment. For those wondering what’s next, I’m not sure what to say, really. I toyed with the idea of writing a sequel while rewriting my draft and even drafted the first chapter and outlined some ideas, but my lack of time to actually write the whole thing makes it somewhat unlikely. That, and I really wrote this story with no intention of writing a sequel to it.
> 
> On the subject of writing, I am currently working on a Tales of Xillia 2 and Tales of the Abyss crossover story. Whether it has any relation to this fic or not remains to be seen, since I’m in the process of outlining the plot at the moment and not much stuff are final yet. Though I might publish a pilot chapter of this soon, as a way of gauging interest for it.  
> But if you’re on the lookout for more Abyss stuff and/or want to contact me outside this website, you are free to visit me at dimensionslip*tumblr*com, which plays host to my other activities such as making silly graphics, coding themes, and scanlating whatever catches my fancy. 
> 
> In closing, I’d like to take this opportunity to extend some words of thanks.
> 
> Firstly, I would like to thank the wonderful Eirlys Tylluan, who not only stuck with me as I raved and ranted while writing this story, but was kind enough to beta read the last chapter and epilogue of this fic. As if that was not enough, she also did some wonderful art of this fic, as linked above.
> 
> I would also like to thank the people who beta’d the earlier chapters, namely thehiddenshadow (Prologue, Chapter 1-2), jadedchrome (Chapter 1), and Droplet of Sour (Chapter 3).
> 
> Of course, I’d also like to thank everyone who read this story, especially those who took the time to review and favorite/follow this piece of fiction. To say that I greatly appreciate it doesn’t do it any justice—I’m really, really happy whenever I get a notification to that effect. In fact, reviews are more than enough to make my day, as well as the PMs I got on Tumblr telling me that they liked my story.
> 
> So yes, please continue reviewing and/or giving me feedback even if this story’s already marked as complete. :D  
> In that regard, I hope you guys stick around for whatever I have in store for the future. Thank you again for taking the time to read this story.
> 
> Forever grateful,
> 
> DimensionSlip


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